SPICE!
by ikuto-sama
Summary: The beginning of a story based off of the Vocaloid song by Len Kagamine, "SPICE!" This was my first fan-fic. It's an on-going series, so it's a bit hard to summarize, but I really hope you enjoy it.
1. Chapter 1

SPICE!  
By Ikuto-sama

~CHAPTER 1~

_ I wonder if he's awake now_… A young girl, about 15 years old, stood in front of a door. She looked through a tiny window, its curtains drawn, making sure her shoulder-length blonde hair was not a tangled mess and the large white bow on top of her head was in place. She smoothed out her school uniform, a brown jumper with a pleated skirt-like bottom and a large yellow ribbon resting elegantly across her chest, and set her brown schoolbag on the floor.

_Okay, Rin, you just need to go in there and wake him up. He's just your best friend, nothing more. No need to be nervous! _The girl, Rin, thought. She touched the doorknob, feeling a small spark go through her hand, and slowly opened in the door.

_Oh my gosh, _Rin thought, swooning. _He's such an adorable angel when he sleeps. I don't want to wake him up, I just want to stare at him all day! But, oh well…_

She crept slowly towards her friend's bed. He had a small smile on his face and his blonde hair covered his eyes. He was hugging a yellow stuffed bunny with a bow on top that Rin had made for him a long time ago.

"Len-kun," Rin said. The boy, Len, did not stir. "Len-kun, it's morning."

Rin kneeled down so her face was right next to Len's. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. _I—I've never been this close to Len's face before, _she thought. _It—it's as if we're going to…kiss?_

"Len-kun!" Rin shouted, but Len still did not wake up. "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Rin pursed her lips and started to move her face closer to Len's. _I love him. I love him so much, _Rin thought. _But he never, ever notices me…how sad… _Her heart started to race, _doki, doki. _

_It'll just be a quick peck on the cheek, _Rin thought. _There's nothing wrong in that, right?_

Still, Rin continued to move towards Len's lips. _Oh—oh my gosh, _she thought. Just as their lips were about to touch—

"Kagamine-san?"

"Wuaah!" Rin jumped about six feet away, landing on her bottom. "L—Len-kun?"

"What—what are you doing here?" Len rubbed his eyes, still half asleep. "It's like,three in the morning…"

"I—I was just trying to wake you up," Rin said, tousling her hair. Her face was the perfect shade of tomato. "It's six o'clock already! If I don't wake you up now, you'll be sleeping in till noon!"

"Well, maybe you get up too early," Len laughed. "Well, I guess I can't go back to sleep now, right?"

Rin and Len Kagamine had been best friends since they were in diapers. They had the same last name but weren't related. Rin and Len's parents had been good friends, but when Rin and Len were only five years old, both their parents had died in a bus crash. Rin and Len had been living together ever since.

"I—It's our first day of high school, you know," Rin said, still blushing. "That's why we have to get up early again."

"We'll be in a larger school this year," Len said. "We may not be in the same class. It'll be a bit lonely, don't you think?"

"I—It's good to get to know different people!" Rin exclaimed. "I—I already packed your lunch and ironed your uniform and everything!"

"Aw, you didn't have to do that, Rin," Len said, flashing a smile that would make anyone melt like ice in the sun. "Thank you!"

Rin's blood began to boil as Len started to get out of the covers. _Sh**! I—I forgot that Len sleeps in his boxers! _she thought_._

"I—I should be going now!" Rin gasped.

"Rin, are you okay? Your face is red. Are you sick?" Len asked, his large blue eyes staring at Rin in the most earnest way. He was completely oblivious to Rin's awkward behavior.

_He wears boxers with rubber duckies on them! How cute! _Rin thought, getting a glimpse.

"I should give you time to change! I—er—bye!" Rin dashed out of the apartment as fast as she could, slamming the door behind her.

_Oh my gosh, _Rin thought. Her heart was beating in a way that felt like it would hop out of her mouth any second, and she was breathing heavily. _Len is too frickin' cute! I—I really want to ask him out, but that could ruin our friendship! But since we're going to a larger school, he might meet someone cuter there! What do I do?_

_Dong, dong, dong, dong… _A clock tower off in the distance started to ring the hour.

_Oh, crap! _Rin thought. _I have to go catch the train in order to get to school! _Grabbing her schoolbag, she dashed down the corridor.

~CHAPTER 1 - END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	2. Chapter 2

SPICE! Chapter 2

_That Rin…she never changes, _Len thought. _But oh well, now that I'm up I might as well get ready for school._

Len's apartment was basically a hole drilled into a wall. It was a one-room apartment with a small bathroom. The walls were stark white with ugly light-brown carpeting, and Len's bed and dresser were on one side of the room while a small kitchenette was diagonally placed on the other. A small TV that was only a bit bigger than his own hands, a lamp he had bought at the 100-yen shop, and an old gray industrial fan were the only other occupants in the room.

Stretching and yawning, Len grabbed his new school uniform off of the dresser. It was a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a yellow tie and brown slacks. _The school uniforms get plainer and plainer the older you get, _Len thought. _And the girls' skirts get shorter and shorter. _He smiled to himself.

Rin had also left a small bento box on the dresser. _For Len-Len _: You are a growing boy so be sure to eat your vegetables! Ha ha ha! Your friend, Rin.

_Grr, she always calls me that stupid name, even now that we're in high school, _Len thought. He opened the bento, which was stuffed with omelets, meatballs and steamed leeks. The omelets had a hint of onion in them. Omelets and onions were Len's two favorite foods. There was not a trace of food in the bento once Len put it down. Only once Len had washed up and gotten into his school uniform did he realize that the bento was for lunch.

"Let's see what's in here," Len said to himself as he opened the mini-fridge in his kitchenette. The fridge was pretty much empty except for some expired milk, a tomato, and some old pickle juice.

"Tomatoes are perfectly healthy. Yum, lunch," Len said, trying to sound optimistic. "Damn, I'm poor…"

Len worked part-time as a waiter at a café down the street, but the job didn't pay well. Rin also worked there. They always tried to pool their salaries together to buy groceries but still came up with next to nothing.

Len threw the tomato into a plastic bag and put it in his schoolbag. He pulled out a letter that said:

_Welcome to Benibara Academy!_

_Dear Ms_**. KAGAMINE**_,_

_Congratulations! You've been accepted to Benibara Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Your exams showed that you are eligible for a 3-year scholarship. Your new uniform should have come in the mail a week ago. Our school is located north of where you live and should take only 45 minutes by train to get there. Enclosed is a pass to get on the train for free every day. We are happy to have you on board with us, and hope you have the most excellent learning experience…_

"Let's see…so, I have to take the 6:45 train if I want to get there on time. And, they put me as MS. Kagamine? I'll have to fix that—oh sh**!" Len whipped out his watch. The time was 6:30. "I better get going now!" Len thrust the letter and train pass into his schoolbag and rushed out the door.

_Whoo! Ker-clack, ker-clack, ker-clack, ker-clack. _The train started to pull out of the station. Rin stared out the window, daydreaming.

_Wow, a new school, _she thought. _I wonder what kind of people I'll meet there. I wonder how Len'll do at his new school too. Oh, Len…I hope you'll like the bento I packed you…_

"Wait! Hey, wait up! Open the door, please!" There was a commotion going on outside.

"I'm sorry, young man, but we cannot allow you to get on the train at this time. You'll have to wait for the 7:30 train!"

"But I have to go to school! I'll be late if I catch the 7:30 train! It's my first day at a new school, please!"

"Well, you should learn to get up early enough so you're not late!"

Rin looked out the window to see what was going on. A young blonde-haired boy was fighting with one of the train attendants outside.

"Hmm, that boy looks like Len," Rin giggled. "But it couldn't be. Len's way too cool to shout in public, right? Although he's still really cute…"

Rin resumed daydreaming as the shouting faded into the distance.

_ Hmm, it's almost 7:30 and we're only halfway there, _Len thought angrily. _Damn…if only I could have left with Rin! She's always on time with everything…_

Len seethed in the backseat of an almost-full train. Even with the many stops on the route, the train was full of all kinds of people.

"_Sora Station, boarding and unloading. Those here for Sora Station, the time to exit is now. Sora Station, boarding and unloading. Those here for Sora Station, the time to exit is now…"_

"Hey, there!"

Len stared angrily out the window at the sea of people in the station. _I hate trains, _he thought.

"Hey, dude. Can I sit by you?" someone asked.

"No, I do not wish for any snacks, thank you," Len said only half-listening, thinking the person talking to him was the snack-cart attendant.

Len snapped back into reality as he felt a sharp jab in the ribs."Ow! What the—who are you?"

"'Morning! I'd like to sit down next to you, please! You're from Benibara?" Len turned around to see a smiling boy, about the same age as him and wearing the same uniform, plop down next to him.

"Um, I'm starting at Benibara today. My name's Kagamine, Kagamine Len," Len said.

"Really, you are? So am I! My name's Kamui Gakupo. I'm going to call you Len-chan, okay?"

_Is this guy for real? _Len thought. The boy had long, purple colored hair. He looked really serious, like a samurai, but the way he was acting was super-hyper.

"Um, okay then?" Len said.

"You can call me Popo-chan! It's what all the girls call me! Oh, we're going to be best friends! " Gakupo said enthusiastically.

"Um, excuse—"

"I heard we're going to be the only boys at this school! It's like winning the lottery! We get to choose from the cream of the crop, and no one to stop us! Just be sure not to steal anyone from me, okay? I already got my eyes on Miss Megurine Luka, she's a third-year—"

"What?" Len exclaimed.

"Is something wrong, Len-chan?" Gakupo asked.

"Could you repeat what you just said again?" Len asked.

"Really, you are? So am I! My name's Kamui Gakupo. I'm going to call you Len-chan, okay—"

"No, not that. About the school?"

"Oh, that we're going to be the only boys at this school?"

"Yeah, that. Um…why?" Len asked. _I'm one of the only males at this school and the other guy has to be __**him**__? _Len thought. _What did I do to deserve this, dear God?_

"Well, Benibara Academy was originally an all-girls academy, and you have get a practically **perfect **score on your exams. Now, they decided to make it co-ed, but not many guys enrolled, I guess. But that makes it even better for you and me~ "

"Rin-chan might have said something about that earlier, but I don't quite remember," Len said to himself.

"Who's Rin?" Gakupo asked.

"Oh, she's my neighbor and my best friend," Len said.

"Is she cute?" Gakupo asked, winking.

"Yes—I mean, no—I mean, yes of course, but I'm not interested in her. But keep your pants on!" Len said, flustered.

"You're blushing, Len-chan. How cute! " Gakupo said. "You like her, don't you?"

"Just as a friend," Len said quickly, regaining his composure. "Nothing more, I'm serious."

"Ah, Len-chan, don't lie to your heart," Gakupo said. "If you love her, freely declare your feelings! No need to be afraid. For all we know, she might like you back!"

"I doubt it. We're more like brother and sister than anything else," Len said. The train started to slow down.

"_Benibara Station…Benibara Station up ahead…Benibara Station…Benibara Station up ahead…"_

"It won't be long, Len-chan," Gakupo said as the train slowed to a stop.

"It won't be long…before that becomes something more."

~CHAPTER 2 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	3. Chapter 3

SPICE! Chapter 3

_Hmmm…Len-kun's late, _Rin thought. _I hope he made it onto the train alright._

"My name is Hanazuki-Sensei and I'll be your teacher this year. I'm glad to meet all of you. Now, we shall be taking roll…"

_Oh no! If Len doesn't get here soon he'll definitely be in trouble! _Rin thought. _Please hurry, Len!_

"Acme-san?"

"Here!"

"Akito-san?"

"Here!"

"Fukuhara-san?"

"Here!"

"Hinamori-san?"

"Here!"

_Whoa, there are a lot of girls in this class—in fact, this class is all girls! _Rin thought, shuddering. _Len'll be the only guy, and Len is a completely different person when he's surrounded by girls…_

After a few minutes, Len and Rin's names were about to be called.

"Kagamine-san?"

"H—h—here!" Rin stuttered.

"All right, Kagamine Rin-san, and then your brother, Kagamine Len-san?" Hanazuki-Sensei asked.

The whole class suddenly focused on Rin. Rin could here whispers of _"A boy? In this school?" _and _"That's a big surprise!" _and _"I wonder if he's cute…"_

"He—he's not my brother," Rin said nervously. "He's a friend, and I—I think he missed the first train so he'll be a bit late…"

"Well, if he does not show up here in the next five seconds I'll be marking him tardy and he'll have to assume class clean-up duties," Hanazuki-Sensei said, irritated.

_Len's bad at cleaning things, _Rin thought. _Oh, Len…please be here soon!_

"I'm—huff—not late—huff!" Len gasped.

"And neither am I! Please—huff—excuse us—huff!" Gakupo said.

"We're really sorry!" Len cried, bowing. "We both missed the first train, and—"

"Please take a seat. I won't mark you tardy," Hanazuki-Sensei said.

"Thank you, Sensei!" Len and Gakupo shouted in unison.

"Len-kun!" Rin whispered. "Thank goodness you made it!" Len smiled and nodded in reply.

"Since you are Kagamine-san, I assume the other boy with you is Kamui Gakupo-san?" Hanazuki-Sensei asked.

"Yes, pleased to meet you," Gakupo said, taking a seat beside a window. Len took the seat in front of him.

"I am Hanazuki-Sensei, and I'll be your teacher this y—"

All of a sudden, the whole class broke out into screams. "TWO BOYS! THERE ARE TWO BOYS IN THIS CLASS! OH MY GOD! THE BLONDE-HAIRED ONE IS SO CUTE, AND THE PURPLE-HAIRED ONE IS HOT TOO!"

"Class! Ladies! Control yourselves!" Hanazuki-Sensei shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the screaming.

Len felt his hair and clothes being tugged every which way. The only girls in the class that were staying calm were Rin and the brown-haired girl sitting next to him.

"Please—stop—" Len tried to say, but was ignored.

"Whoa there, ladies! There's enough of Gakupo to go around, hmm? Form an orderly line and you can touch my face for 300 yen!" Gakupo laughed. _That dumbass, _Len thought.

"CLASS!" Hanazuki-Sensei bellowed. Everyone froze and fell silent.

"Please. Get. In. Your. Seats. NOW!" Hanazuki-Sensei said, grinding her teeth. "And please—stay seated!"

The girls all walked back to their seats sheepishly. "Now, that's better…" Hanazuki-Sensei breathed, and continued taking roll.

"Hey there, hot stuff," the girl next to Len said.

"Hmm? Oh, hi," Len said. He turned to look at the brown-haired girl. She had a beautiful, perfectly smooth face that was encircled by her short, bob-cut hair. Her eyes were brown with a tinge of red, and she had pure white skin with pink, rosy cheeks. If you wanted to describe her in one word, angel would be the first one that came to mind. Len's heart skipped a beat and he could feel his face turning red.

"Sorry about what happened a little bit ago. The girls at this school are in dire need of more males in their lives," the girl said. "My name's Meiko Sakine. What's yours?"

"Um, my name's Kagamine Len," Len said nervously. "N—n—nice to meet you!"

"I'm going to call you Len, okay?" Meiko said. "You can call me Meiko as well."

"Er, okay," Len said. _Why do I always get all nervous talking to girls other than Rin? _He thought.

"I like shota-type boys like you," Meiko said. "But I know there's a man under there dying to come out. Hehehe."

"Wuahh?" Len breathed.

"How about you and I go out this Friday for dinner. I'd like to know more about you, if you know what I mean," Meiko said, and pinched Len's butt.

"Ow! What are you doing?" Len gasped.

"Taking a sneak peek at this Friday's coming attraction," Meiko giggled, winking.

"Oh god, what have I gotten myself into…" Len muttered.

"What was that, honey?" Meiko asked, tousling her hair.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Have I told you what beautiful eyes you have?" Len said quickly.

"Oh, Lenny, darling…" Meiko whispered.

"And your hair is just gorgeous. But not as gorgeous as your face," Len said, running his fingers through Meiko's hair.

_I shouldn't be giving Meiko mixed signals, otherwise she'll think we're going out or something! Len, learn to control yourself! _Len thought. He did not notice that Rin was staring right at him.

Rin sighed as she began to dig into her bento. _Len, why? Why were you flirting with Meiko like that? Don't you ever notice my feelings? _She thought. _I knew this would happen. I better act quickly or I'll lose my chance…_

"…And so I told her I wasn't really interested, you know? Because I want to remain faithful to Megurine-san and such."

"I wish I had your confidence, Gakupo. Meiko has been trying to put the moves on me all morning. I just don't know what to do…oh, there's Rin-san!"

Rin turned around to see Len and another guy running towards her. Her face brightened. "Len!"

"Hi, Rin-san! Mind if we have lunch with you?" Len asked, smiling.

"Ah, so this is the famous Rin I've heard about! Len told me all about you. I'm Gakupo, but you can call me Popo-chan! It's what all the pretty girls call me! Has anyone told you that you have such beautiful, vibrant blue eyes? Len is so lucky to—ouch! Len!" Len yanked Gakupo's hair before he could say any more.

"Oh, um, sure. You guys can go ahead and sit here, I don't mind," Rin said, then looked down at the plastic sack Len was clutching. "Um, Len, what happened to the bento I packed for you this morning?"

"Oh, I, uh, ate it all," Len said. "I couldn't help myself. It was really delicious though! Thank you!"

Rin blushed. _He likes my cooking? I'm so happy! _she thought.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll make a good wife for Len here. He's always hungry, I swear!" Gakupo said.

"Gakupo!" Len laughed. "Don't tell her that!"

"Nah, Len here just gets bad mileage," Gakupo said. "I mean, it's kind of pitiful that he only has a tomato for lunch. You should cook for him all the time, Rin!"

"Rin is my friend, not my personal slave," Len said.

"Then she'll just have to become your wife!" Gakupo shouted happily, so all of campus could hear.

"Gakupo, shut up! Get out of here!" Len snapped.

"What is this talk of wife I hear?" Meiko came striding over.

"Meiko!" Len gasped. "Er, uh, it was Gakupo! We were just joking around!"

_Just joking around? _Rin's heart started to sink when Meiko turned to her.

"And just who is this? Your sister or something?" Meiko asked, looking at Rin in disgust.

"Oh, uh, she's—"

"Ah, I see, your sister. Then she should be no problem. We still have our plans on Friday?"

"Well—"

"I expect to meet you at Chez Expensife at 8 o'clock Friday night," Meiko said. "You wouldn't want to make me cry, would you? Sniff…I thought you were the one…"

"No, of course I'll meet you! I just, um—I have to go—polish my cat! I'll be back!" Len said, flustered, as he fled the scene.

"I'll be sitting with my friends. See you later," Meiko said, irritated, as she walked away.

After an awkward silence, Gakupo finally spoke. "So…how long have you and Len known each other?"

"Ever since we were babies," Rin said. "Both his parents and mine died when we were only five, so we've been relying on each other ever since then."

"Ah, I see," Gakupo said. "And you have feelings for him?"

"Yes—I mean, no—I mean, yes, of course I do! You—you won't tell him, right? Please?" Rin stuttered.

"I wouldn't spill what's coming from a girl's heart," Gakupo said. "I've only known Len-chan for half the day, but he does seem like the oblivious type. Has he ever expressed feelings for you?"

"I really don't know. It's hard to tell," Rin said. "He's like a ripple in the water—he's hard to grasp."

"I told him he should take a chance and ask you out. I'm sure he likes you," Gakupo said.

"You really think so?" Rin asked.

"Of course," Gakupo said. "You're a cute, smart girl. Sometimes boys are a bit slow when it comes to these things, but he'll wake up and realize it soon."

"Popo-kun? You know, you're really easy to talk to. I feel so much better now! You understand girls so well!" Rin said. "Do you maybe have a sister or something?"

"Nah," Gakupo said. "I'm just very observant."

And they continued to eat their lunch in silence.

~CHAPTER 3 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	4. Chapter 4

SPICE! Chapter 4

_All right, today's the big day, _Len thought. His first week of school had gone without further incident, and tonight was the night he was going to meet Meiko for dinner.

"Okay, you're done!" Rin said. "You look so handsome, Len-Len! "

"It's the only fancy outfit I have to wear," Len said. "I feel kinda awkward in it…"

Len was dressed up in a black-and-red pinstripe suit with a red tie and black fedora. The fedora had a bright red ribbon around it. His blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his bright blue eyes stood out immensely.

"Len, you could be wearing rags and you'd still look hot," Rin said, smiling. "It's kinda cute that you don't know how to put on a tie though. Hee-hee!"

"Rin, you're embarrassing me," Len moaned.

"So, you're all ready for your date?" Rin asked.

"I wouldn't call it a date," Len said. "I don't even have feelings for Meiko. I was kind of dragged into this, I guess. But I don't want to just leave her hanging, you know?"

"I wish someone handsome would take me out on a date tonight," Rin sighed. "But I guess he'll never notice me…"

"Don't worry, Rin," Len said cheerfully. "You'll find your prince one day. You're a beautiful girl. I'm sure any guy would be lucky to take you out!"

_Hmm, he didn't get the hint. As oblivious as ever, _Rin thought. _But at least he called me beautiful!_

"Rin-chan, you're blushing," Len said. "You're—you're making me blush too!"

"Oh, Len," Rin said. "I want to be the first one. I'm going before Meiko!"

"Rin—"

With a surge of confidence, Rin pulled Len close.

"Wh—what's wrong, Rin?"

"Len-kun," Rin breathed. She stood up on her tiptoes to look him directly in the eyes.

"Len, I—I want to do this before you fall in love with Meiko or anyone else," Rin said. "Even if I am rejected, I know what I'm doing is right. I—I want you, Len!"

Rin pulled Len's face to hers and kissed him. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but to Rin, it felt like forever.

"Rin-chan, I…" Len uttered, stunned.

"I'm sorry, Len-kun, but I've already stolen your first kiss," Rin said. "You…you hate me now, don't you?"

"No, I don't, Rin. But—but I'm just not ready for this," Len said. "Sure, it was a kiss, but is it truly your first kiss if the other person doesn't feel the same?"

"Len…I don't know what got into me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Len…"

"Don't be," Len said, smiling. "I rather enjoyed the kiss. And I'm glad that you took a chance."

"Len-kun…really and truly? You're not angry with me?" Rin asked.

"Of course not," Len said. "I love you too, but in a different way." Len gave Rin a hug before he walked out the door.

"It's about time you got here!" Meiko snapped.

"I'm—I'm sorry, Meiko-san," Len said. "There was heavy traffic, and I had to take the bus so—"

"I should be the one who's sorry," Meiko said softly. "It's hard for me to control my temper, so don't get mad at me if I snap at you, please?"

"Of course, Meiko," Len said. "So—you ready to order?"

"You brought money, right?" Meiko asked. "Because…well, since it's a date the guy's supposed to pay, you know?"

"I brought 8,000 yen, is that enough?" Len asked. _That was supposed to be grocery money for Rin and I, _he thought.

"I hope so," Meiko said. "It's a bit pricey here…"

"Are you two ready to order?" A waitress came over with a notepad and a pen.

"Er, yes, please. Meiko, you can order first…"

"Hmm…let's get the finger food platter, an order of the filet mignon, medium-rare, a large Coke, and for dessert, one serving of the Triple-Chocolate Deluxe Devil's Foodcake," Meiko said.

_Ouch, _Len thought as he added up the prices in his head. _I guess I won't order anything, otherwise we'll have nothing for the tip…_

"Why are you looking at me with those puppy dog eyes?" Meiko asked.

"Oh, I—I wasn't looking at anything!" Len gasped.

"I'm going to share, you know," Meiko said. "I don't eat that much…oh, Lenny, please stop making that face! It's way too cute!" Meiko grabbed Len and pushed his face into her chest.

_I never realized how, um, well-endowed Meiko was, _Len thought as Meiko smothered him. _Even more so than Rin—ew, what am I thinking?_

"All right, so the finger food platter, one order of the filet mignon, medium-rare, one large fountain drink, and one serving of the Devil's Foodcake?" the waitress asked.

"Yes, please," Meiko said.

"Okay, your orders will arrive momentarily. Thank you!" the waitress said, smiling. As she turned around, she muttered, "Talk about in need of a room…"

"Lenny, aren't you going to say anything about how beautiful I look?" Meiko asked.

"Uh—er, you look nice," Len said, blushing. "Your dress is really pretty!"

"Thank you. You look cute as a button, Lenny!" Meiko giggled. She was wearing a strapless bright red dress that barely even reached mid-thigh. The only other thing that covered any other skin on her body was an elbow-length pair of red gloves. She wore strappy red stilettos, the heels so skinny they looked like the slightest touch would snap them off. She wore large, gold hoop earrings and a gold necklace with her initials "MS" around her neck.

_Lenny? _Len thought. _What a terrible nickname. It's even worse than being called Len-Len!_

"So, Lenny, what do you do for a living?" Meiko asked.

"Um, I work at a café as a waiter. Rin works there too," Len said.

"I'd like to see you in that uniform! " Meiko said. "But…Rin works there too?"

"Yeah," Len said. "The job doesn't pay much, so usually we pool our salaries together to get things. We both had to work extra hours this week to make enough money to pay for this dinner."

"Y—you're poor, Lenny?" Meiko asked.

"I don't have as much as other people, so I guess you could say that," Len said.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being a bit selfish now, making you pay for everything. But I will make it up to you tonight, hehehe," Meiko said mischievously.

"Really, I don't mind. Don't worry about it," Len said cheerfully.

"The cute obliviousness of shota-boys," Meiko said under her breath. "But by tomorrow Len'll be a MAN for sure! Tee-hee!" Len did not hear her laughing.

"That was really special, Meiko," Len said after they had finished dinner and paid the bill. "Thank you for inviting me!"

"No, thank YOU, Lenny. It wouldn't have been as special without you," Meiko said.

Outside, it started pouring rain. "I better hurry home. I have to catch the bus," Len said.

"I have a car," Meiko said.

"You do? But isn't it—"

"Shh, dear Lenny," Meiko whispered, pressing a finger against Len's lips. "I have my way of getting around rules, so don't you worry."

"I guess you could give me a ride home," Len said. "Shady characters usually ride the bus at this hour anyways."

"Who said I was taking you home?" Meiko asked as they got into the car.

"Wh—what do you mean?" Len panicked.

"We're going to my house," Meiko said.

"I don't want to intrude—"

"Come on, Lenny, won't you just stay a little bit for tea? Please?" Meiko asked, looking at Len with a face that was cuter than two kittens and a puppy combined.

"Oh, all right," Len sighed. "But I'd like to be home before midnight, you know. Rin'll worry."

"I'm sure Rin knows you're in safe hands," Meiko said as she started to drive. "I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you, Lenny."

It only took a few minutes from the restaurant to get to Meiko's house. Len gasped when he saw it.

"Wow—this place is huge! It's like a palace!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, it's nothing much," Meiko shrugged. Meiko's house was a huge gray loft with clear glass stairs leading up to the doorway. There was a large patio set and a huge hot tub on the deck. Under the loft was a swimming pool with all kinds of slides and diving boards.

"Nothing much?" Len asked, astounded. "Meiko, are you crazy?"

"Would you stop looking at my house with your mouth agape and just come inside?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Len said.

"Welcome to casa de Meiko," Meiko said. The inside of her house had a large kitchen with stainless-steel state-of-the-art appliances, and her living room had a large, red wraparound couch, a 50-inch flat-screen TV hanging on the wall, and a fancy stereo system, along with many of the latest videogame consoles.

"Meiko, this is amazing," Len said. "How—how did you get all this stuff?"

"I work as a model for Easter," Meiko said.

"Easter? The company that produces all the famous idols and stuff?"

"Yep," Meiko nodded.

"Wow, I would have never known," Len said. "So, what about the tea?"

"Come over this way," Meiko beckoned. She led Len into her bedroom. It had a huge, red king-sized bed, another flat-screen TV, a computer desk with a red laptop and lamp sitting on it, a huge bookcase, and a door that led to a walk-in closet that was as large as the bedroom.

"You must sure like red," Len said, looking down at the carpet, which was also red.

"Yeah, it's my favorite color," Meiko said. "They say your heart beats faster when you're surrounded by red. It's the color of excitement."

"That's…interesting," Len said.

"You can go ahead and sit on the bed if you want," Meiko said.

"Um, okay," Len said, taking a seat.

"Oh, crap, I got some chocolate on my dress from the cake we had earlier. Could you wait just one second while I change? Just close your eyes or something," Meiko said.

"I could just leave—"

"Oh Lenny, don't be a baby!"

"Okay, fine," Len said, squashing his face into the bed. _Don't peek, don't peek, don't peek, _he thought.

Still, Len was a healthy high school boy with mild curiosity. He opened his eyes a fraction of an inch for a second.

_Whoa, Meiko wears granny panties! Who would've thought_? _But they're still kinda cute…really, anything looks good when it's on Meiko, _Len thought.

"All right, I'm done," Meiko said. She was wearing a short red nightgown with black lace. "You peeked, didn't you? Naughty, naughty Lenny!"

"I—I didn't! Really!" Len exclaimed.

"Your face is as red as my bed," Meiko giggled. "For that, you're going to be punished!"

"What the—" Meiko tackled Len, pushing him into the mattress, and held his head.

"Meiko-chan—" Meiko started to kiss Len.

_I can taste her cherry lip-gloss, _Len thought. _It kind of tastes…good…._

Len started to kiss Meiko back, and put his arms around her. Just then, Meiko pulled away and moved down to his neck.

"What are you doing—ow, Meiko…" Len breathed.

"I love you, Len. Don't you want us to be together?" Meiko asked.

"Everyone at school will see this and think—"

"Exactly. I own you now," Meiko said. "Now, shouldn't you change out of this and into something more…comfortable?"

"Meiko, wait—" Meiko started to tear off Len's tie, suit, dress shirt…

"I love you, Len," Meiko whispered, looking into his eyes. "Don't you love me?"

"Of course I do, Meiko. I love you so much…" Len breathed. And he started kissing her again.

~CHAPTER 4 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	5. Chapter 5

SPICE! Chapter 5

Len staggered into his house. He did not remember what happened last night. He felt like somebody had hit him in the head with a sledgehammer repeatedly, and could barely keep his eyes opening.

"Len-kun," Rin said. "Are—are you okay?"

"Rin…is that you?" Len's vision was blurred. He could barely see.

"Yes, it's me. Oh my god, Len…you should lay down! I stayed here all night waiting for you but you never came back!"

Len touched his neck and winced. _Oh yeah, that, _he thought as he sat down on the floor.

"It's 6 o'clock, you know. I started to get worried!" Rin cried. "Wh—what did Meiko do to you?"

"We just went out for dinner," Len lied. "But after dinner, I felt a bit sick and I didn't think I could make it back home, so Meiko drove me over to her house."

"What about that cut on your neck?" Rin asked.

_I can't tell her Meiko gave me a hickey! Rin would go ballistic! _Len thought. "Um…well, while we were at the restaurant, I slipped on an ice cube and cut myself on the table," he said. "It's fine, really."

"Oh, Len, you poor thing! You look terrible!" Rin cried. "I think you should stay home from work today and get some rest."

"You sound like a mother, Rin-chan," Len said. "I'll be fine. I just need to wash up and get changed and I'll be fine. Our shifts start in an hour, so let me get ready…"

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Rin asked.

"Oh, yeah! I mean, um, well not in Meiko's BED, of course, I was in the guest room—"

"Don't worry, Len, I believe you," Rin said. "I packed you lunch today!"

"Thanks, Rin," Len said. "Um…I'll get ready real quick and maybe we can go to work together?"

"That'd be great," Rin cheered. "I'll just, um, wait for you outside or something!"

"Okay," Len said as he headed off to the bathroom.

Len stared at himself in the mirror. _Thank god Rin believed me, _he thought. _I do look terrible, though. _Len's eyes were red, his hair was askew, his face felt greasy, and then there was what Meiko did.

_Why, Len, why? _Len thought as he washed his face and hair in the sink. _Why did you let her captivate you?_

After he had washed and changed into his café uniform, he looked at himself in the mirror again. "Much better," he said to himself. "I'm NEVER going to Meiko's house again…"

_"Are you sure?" _Len's reflection seemed to say. _"Didn't you like it?"_

"I guess I did," Len said. "But—but that doesn't make it right!"

_"You're in high school now," _his reflection said. _"You can make your own choices. There's no need to hold back. I mean, obviously you love her if you did those things—"_

"But it's not fair to Rin!" Len cried. "I feel awful because of what I did!"

_"You're not going out with her. What happened to calling her a 'friend'?" _his reflection asked.

"But she confessed!" Len said. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

_"Not really," _his reflection said bluntly. _"You said you loved her, but not in that way. That's just a polite excuse. Your heart is screaming 'I love Meiko', but you refuse to accept it!"_

"I do love Meiko," Len said. "But—"

_"There's no need to deny it," _his reflection said. _"You say you never want to go to Meiko's again. But you liked it last night. You liked it a lot. You want more—"_

"But—" Len interjected.

_"Don't interrupt me while I'm speaking!"_ his reflection snapped. _"Face it. You only like Rin as a friend."_

"But—but—but—"

_"It must be hard to sit down with so many butts," _Len's reflection said. _"Hehehe—ew, Len, you have a cheesy sense of humor!"_

"I love Meiko," Len sighed. "I should quit lying to myself, and just tell Rin there's no chance. But she's my friend, and I don't want to make her cry. What should I do, Reflection-san?"

"Reflection-SAMA," his reflection said. "And what to do? Don't do anything. Rin's a smart girl, she'll find out on her own."

"I hope you're right," Len said. "Well, I should get going now, Rin's waiting. Thanks for the advice, Reflection-sama."

"Wait!" Len's reflection shouted, stopping Len mid-step.

"What?" Len asked.

"Your tie is a bit crooked," his reflection said. "A little to the right—no, that's too much—okay, got it. I just want you to look nice for my sake, okay?"

"Okay. Well, bye then," Len said. After he had closed the bathroom door, he slapped himself. _I must be losing it, _he thought. _Reflections don't talk!_

The weekend came and went, and as soon as Len and Rin stepped into the classroom on Monday, all eyes were on Len. "Um, I'm going to go sit down now," Rin said nervously.

Len was walking to his seat when someone slapped him on the back, knocking the wind out of him. "Good job, Len-chan!"  
"What the hell—Gakupo?" Len gasped. "Ow! Don't do that!"

Gakupo looked like the Cheshire Cat's long-lost brother. "Only the first week of school and you've already got a girlfriend AND you've gotten to third-base with her," he whispered.

"What—how did you know?" Len asked, shocked. He tried to pull up his shirt so it covered the mark on his neck.

"I have underground connections," Gakupo laughed. "And by the way, everyone already knows. No need to hide the hickey."

Len looked nervously over at Meiko, who smiled and waved. "They grow up so fast," Gakupo said, pretending to sob. "He was a little chick one day and now he's outgrown the nest…"

"Shut up, Gakupo," Len grumbled as he took a seat. _With all this gossip going around, Rin is bound to learn soon, _he thought worriedly. _I don't want to make her cry, but how can I deny it?_

"Good morning, Lenny," Meiko greeted.

"Why did you tell everybody?" Len whispered through gritted teeth.

"D—don't get angry at me, Lenny. I didn't tell anyone except your friend. He wouldn't leave me alone!" Meiko said. "I told him to keep it a secret, but he bragged about it like a proud parent!"

"I am going to kill—"

"There's no need to worry. Nobody believes it," Meiko said. "Because you're such a cute shota-boy nobody thinks you're that naughty. Tee-hee!"

"Damn shota-con," Len grumbled as class started.

"Len, please, listen to me! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to tell anybody!" Meiko sobbed.

"But you still told Gakupo," Len snapped. "And then you act like nothing's wrong! That's what pisses me off!"

"It was your choice! You could've gone home and—"

"You forced me to! You wouldn't take no for an answer!"

"Well then you came into my house and—"

"You tried to r—"

"I did not! You went along with it!"

_Heehee, they're fighting, _Rin thought. She was sitting on the high branch of a cherry blossom tree, spying on Len and Meiko as they ate lunch.

"Meiko, I don't like it when you act all possessive like that! There was no need to shove that girl! She was just asking directions to the library!" Len shouted.

"Yeah, asking directions? More like asking you out!" Meiko snapped back.

"Meiko, you don't understand—"

"Well you just started acting all mean to me!" Meiko sobbed.

_Hehehe, they're fighting like market-women, _Rin thought evilly. _If they keep fighting like this, maybe they'll break up and Len'll be mine again!_

"Meiko-chan, I love you," Len said. "I want to be with you forever…"

"I love you too, Len-chan," Meiko said. "Mmmm…" They started kissing.

_What? But they—they were fighting mere seconds ago and now they're making out? They really do love each other? Are the rumors true? _Rin thought frantically. She started to lose her balance in the tree.

"Whu—whu—wuaaaaaahhhh!"

Rin fell, expecting to be breaking a bone or two when she landed, but—"

"Mmmph!" She landed on top of the person walking below.

"Oh my gosh!" Rin gasped, immediately rolling off the person she had landed on. "I'm so, so sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the person said, smiling. He had short blue hair and was dressed up in a long-sleeved dress shirt with a black tie and black dress pants, obviously not another student. He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties.

"I'm really sorry," Rin apologized.

"There's no need to be sorry," the man said. "At first I thought maybe an angel fell out of the sky."

"Wh—" Rin started to blush. _He's kinda cute, _she thought.

"My name's Shion Kaito," the man, Kaito, said. He got up and pulled Rin to her feet.

"You're not hurt?" Kaito asked.

"Oh, I—I'm f—f—fine," Rin stuttered, dusting off her uniform. "But, you're hurt—" Kaito had a few scratches and bruises on his face, and his clothes had gotten dusty and wrinkled.

"Oh, I'll be fine. No need to worry," Kaito said, smiling. "I hope to see you again!"

He got up and walked away leaving Rin standing, stunned.

~CHAPTER 5 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	6. Chapter 5 Special

SPICE! SPECIAL Chapter 5.5

In The Style of Secret Love – Gakupo X Luka Special

A boy, about 15 years old, nervously walked down a school hallway. He clutched a photo in his sweating hands. He had long purple hair, bright blue eyes, and a serious expression on his face. He went by the name Gakupo.

_Her classroom's around here, right? Megurine-san… _Gakupo thought, staring at the photo. It was a picture of a tall girl with long, bright-pink hair and blue eyes. She had a gentle smile on her face, and her skin looked like porcelain.

"Let's see, class 3-4, which should be right here—whoa, excuse me!" Gakupo found himself running right into a girl standing in the hallway.

"I'm really sorry," Gakupo said, looking up. He gasped in disbelief at the sight of the girl's face. He looked to her, then the photo, then to her again.

"Y—you're Megurine Luka-san!" Gakupo breathed.

"Indeed I am," the girl, Luka, said. "You really should watch where you're going. Are you new here? I haven't seen your face around."

"Yeah, I'm Kamui, Kamui Gakupo. From class 1-4," Gakupo said, bowing. "We've met before, remember?"

"I don't recall," Luka said, irritated. "I really should be getting to class. If you want to get to class 1-4, it's on the third floor. Just go down the hall and there are stairs there—"

"That's not what I came for," Gakupo said. "Megurine-san, I lo—lo—lo—" He couldn't make out the words. _Come on, Gakupo, it's only three simple words! You just gotta say it! _he thought.

"Lololo? I'm not fluent in gibberish. I'm sorry, I really should be getting to class. Bye," Luka snapped, dashing into her classroom.

Gakupo felt like he had been slapped in the face. _I couldn't say it, _he thought. _I'm comfortable with all the other girls, but I could barely even strike up a conversation with Megurine-san. She probably thinks I'm a loser. And she doesn't even remember me after all the times we've shared! _

Gakupo stared at the photo in his hands. _I'm sorry, Megurine-san, _he thought, gently putting the photo in his pocket and sadly walking away.

"…And so you square N to get the quotient, then add the quotient and B together, then multiply them, and then you've solved the equation!"

Luka, tuning out all the classroom noises, looked sadly out the window. _I was so mean to him, _she thought. _Of course I could never forget Gakupo-kun! But whenever I talk to boys, my brain stops working and I act that way towards them…_

Luka and Gakupo had been best friends ever since elementary school. Luka remembered the first day she had met Gakupo as if it were yesterday.

"Ha ha! Now your clothes match your hair," a little boy taunted.

"You've always looked girly, Gakupo-kun. Are you sure you aren't a girl?" another boy jeered. A bunch of young children, about kindergarten age, circled around a little boy who was crying. The little boy was wearing a girl's sailor school uniform and had his long purple hair tied back. He held his hands over his head like a cap and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Just—just stop it!" the little boy, Gakupo sobbed. "I'm not a girl! Give my uniform back!"

"Gakupo's a girl, Gakupo's a girl," the children sang.

Luka stood, balancing on top of the monkey bars. She was a couple years older than the kids bullying Gakupo, a second-grader. She stared at the group of children as if watching a movie.

_I don't want to meddle in other people's business, _littleLuka thought. _But what they're doing is just wrong…I really should say something!_

"Little girly Gakupo-chan! It's time to put on your makeup!" a little girl tried to make her way through the crowd, carrying a tube of lipstick and a backpack.

"N—n—no!" Gakupo wailed. "Please, don't, I'm begging you!"

Just as the girl was about to reach Gakupo, Luka jumped of the monkey bars and landed right in front of him. The crowd went silent.

"STOP IT!" Luka shouted.

"Senpai?" the little girl breathed.

"What you guys are doing is just plain wrong," Luka said. "Stop tormenting this little boy—I mean, Gakupo-kun!"

"We were just playing," one of the boys said. "We weren't doing anything wrong."

"When someone is crying there IS something wrong," Luka snapped. "You guys have been harassing Gakupo all the time about his hair! Anyone can have long hair, it's their right. Maybe it's a family tradition or part of a religion, everyone has the right to look the way they want to! If I cut my hair short, does that mean I'm a boy? Of course not! You've been making poor Gakupo-kun feel just terrible coming to school every day! You guys better knock it off!"

"S—senpai…"

"And YOU," Luka said, turning to the little girl with the tube of lipstick. "What you were trying to do was just evil of you!"

"I—I'm sorry, Senpai!" the little girl whimpered. "I—I won't do it again—" Luka snatched the tube of lipstick out of the girl's hands.

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it," Luka said. "I'm keeping this. You should give Gakupo his clothes back now!"

"O—okay…" The little girl unzipped the backpack and produced a boy's uniform, placing it in Gakupo's hands. Gakupo sniffled.

"I don't want to see this EVER again! If you do, I'm telling the principal," Luka said coldly. "Now, apologize to Gakupo-kun!"

"We're sorry, Gakupo-kun," the children said. "We'll never do this ever again! We're really sorry for everything!"

"…" Gakupo wiped his face of tears.

"He still looks like a girl, though," the little girl whispered. Gakupo, hearing that, started to cry again.

"What did you say?" Luka bellowed.

"His hair is still long. He'll have to cut it if he's going to look like a proper boy," the little girl said.

"How dare you say that?" Luka shouted. "You're just an ugly, cruel person. You're the one who started this, I'm sure! Don't you dare say a word again!"

"I'm sorry, Senpai, Gakupo-kun!" the little girl started to cry.

"There's no need to start crying again," Luka said. "But now you know that what you did was wrong, and that you should never make fun of someone for being different ever again!"

"I won't," the girl whimpered. "I promise, Senpai."

"Just so you all know, I—I think long hair is beautiful!" Luka exclaimed. "Now, leave!"

"Y—yes, Senpai!" All of the kindergarteners ran away as fast as they could.

"W—wait…Senpai?" the little girl said.

"What?" Luka turned around.

"Can—can I have the lipstick back?" the little girl asked.

"No," Luka said.

"B—but it's my mother's favorite! She'll be angry with me!" the little girl begged. "Please, may I have it back, Senpai?"

"Think of it as punishment for what you've done," Luka said firmly. "Now get out of here!"

"Y—you're mean, Senpai!" the little girl shouted as she ran away.

Luka bent down and extended a hand to Gakupo. "I'm really sorry," she said.

"Thank—hic—you, Senpai…" Gakupo said, sniffling. "They've—hic—been doing this to me—hic—since the beginning of the school year, and they wouldn't—hic—stop."

"Did you ever tell a teacher?" Luka asked as they began to walk.

"I did," Gakupo said. "But—hic—the teachers didn't do—hic—anything."

"How about you change into your normal uniform, wash your face, and go get a drink of water? Maybe then you'll feel better," Luka said. "I'll wait for you here."

"Hic—I will," Gakupo said, running to the boy's bathroom.

After Gakupo had changed, he and Luka walked around the playground.

"So, as I was saying—" Luka felt something wet on her arm. "Gakupo, why are you still crying?"

"I—I'm happy," Gakupo said, smiling. "Because you said long hair was beautiful!"

"Your hair is the most beautiful hair I've ever seen," Luka said happily. "Don't ever cut it, no matter what people say."

"My family is a very traditional Japanese family," Gakupo said. "All the men in our family have long hair."

Luka realized that Gakupo was pretty small for his age. She was pretty tall for her age, making Gakupo look like an elf and her look like a giant. Gakupo struggled to keep up, like a little brother chasing after his big sister.

"You'll need to grow a bit taller if you wanna keep up," Luka said playfully.

"Hmph! When I'm older, I'll be tall enough to squash you!" Gakupo said enthusiastically. "Just you wait!"

"Let's hope so," Luka laughed. "I don't want it to look like you're my little brother or anything."

The bell to return to class started to ring.

"Uh-oh, looks like we'll have to go back to our classes," Luka said.

"Oh, um—by the way, Senpai, what's your name?" Gakupo asked.

"My name? It's Megurine Luka," Luka said. "But, um, you can just call me Luka if you want."

"Au—au—au…" Gakupo had a hard time pronouncing "lu."

"Luka," Luka said. "L-U-K-A. Luka. It's an English name."

"Ruka?"

"Luka," Luka said. "You can call me Ruka, but—"

"Okay, see you around, Uka-tan!" Gakupo said, running across the playground.

"Gakupo-kun…" Luka trailed off. She did not realize that that name would stick with her for a long time.

"Megurine-san?" Are you going to solve the problem? Megurine-san!"

"Yes, I will solve the problem!" Luka exclaimed. "I'll do it during lunch break!"

"That's great enthusiasm, Megurine-san, but I'd like you to solve the problem for us now—"

"That's even better! I'll do it now!" Luka said, jumping out of her seat and dashing out of the classroom. She was making a beeline for Gakupo's classroom to talk to him. She did not realize her daydream had ended and her teacher was calling on her.

"Oh my gosh, Gakupo-kun, your hair is so smooth and soft, and like, all shiny!"

"Yeah, you must like, use the best conditioner! What kind is it?"

"I'd die to have hair like yours, Gakupo-kun. It's so lovely…"

A bunch of girls crowded around Gakupo's desk, stroking his hair.

"That'll be costing you 500 yen per stroke session each," Gakupo laughed.

"Ooh, I'm buying!" The girls all dashed to their desks to fetch their wallets.

Gakupo sighed. _Megurine-san…I was so dumb this morning, _he thought. _I doubt you'll ever give me a second chance…._

"Gakupo-kun!" Luka burst through the door.

"Megurine-san?" Gakupo gasped, along with all the girls in the class.

"Gakupo-kun, I—can we go somewhere private?"

"Y—yeah, I guess…" Gakupo ran up to Luka, who grabbed his hand. She dragged him, just like she had always done when they were little kids, all the way to the back of the library.

"Wh—what do you need, Megurine-san?" Gakupo whispered.

"I—I'm sorry for this morning," Luka apologized. "I'm really ashamed I didn't bother to talk to you. I know you just started here and all, but—"

"I should be the one who's sorry," Gakupo said. "I was a fool this morning. I was even too chicken to tell you what I've wanted to tell you for these past 10 years!"

"10 years? Gakupo-kun, what—what do you mean?" Luka gasped, shocked.

"Megurine-san—I mean, Luka, just listen to me," Gakupo said, taking a deep breath. His heart was beating as if it was about to bust out of his chest, and he could feel his face turning red, the sweat dripping down his face.

"I…I love you, Luka-chan. I've loved you ever since the day I met you. You were the angel that came to save me in my time of need, so I—I couldn't help but want to be with you forever!"

"Gakupo…kun…" Luka was stunned as Gakupo reached for her and began to kiss her. She started to kiss him back. It was a long kiss that seemed to last for eternity, and neither Gakupo nor Luka wanted it to end.

Luka felt tears streaming down her face. "I—I love you too, Gakupo-kun," she sobbed softly. "I—I always have. Every year I spent without you, I—I felt so…alone…"

"I always knew you really loved me," Gakupo said, smiling.

"Sh—shut up, Gakupo-kun! Don't—don't tell anybody!" Luka exclaimed, flustered.

_As tsundere as ever, _Gakupo thought, laughing to himself.

"I'll keep our relationship a secret," Gakupo said. "So, this means we're a couple now?"

"Of course, Gakupo-kun," Luka said, wiping her face. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Luka…" Gakupo hugged her.

"Hey, um, Gakupo?" Luka said.

"Yes?" Gakupo asked.

"Just—just how tall are you?" Luka asked. She noticed Gakupo had grown considerably in height since they met. She had always been tall—she was six-foot-five now.

"Six-foot-eight," Gakupo said proudly. "Tall enough to squash you."

"Oh, don't start up with that again," Luka laughed. "Maybe you'll walk me to class?"

"Of course," Gakupo said. "So, um, do you like eggplant?"

"I love it," Luka said. "But I love you even more."

Hand-in-hand and smiling, they walked out of the library together. 

~CHAPTER 5.5 GAKUPO X LUKA SPECIAL – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	7. Chapter 6

SPICE! Chapter 6

A month had passed since Rin and Len had started school. Summer was approaching, they had already changed uniforms, the courses were easy, and everyone was happy. Everyone…except poor Rin.

_Len-kun…why won't you ever notice me? _Rin thought. She stared across the room at Len. A bunch of girls surrounded him, chattering, and he was smiling and laughing. Meiko was sitting on his lap.

_That's right, they're going out now, _Rin thought. _I'm happy that Len is happy, but still…I feel so lonely!_

"All right, it's time for class to start!" Hanazuki-Sensei said as she ran into the room. "So, it's time to turn off the magnet, Len. Girls, go back to your seats."

"Ha ha, okay," Len laughed. He continued to chat with Meiko.

_He seems to have a more mature air around him now, _Rin thought. Growing up, Len always followed Rin around. He was a crybaby and very clumsy. But all that had changed once both their parents had died. Len never cried or complained after that, and started to do things independently. They had lived in an orphanage for awhile, but once they both turned ten they decided to live by themselves.

"I know it's hot today, but maybe my exciting news will cheer you guys up," Hanazuki-Sensei said. "Although we usually have our all-grade field trip in June, it's so warm we can go early this year. We're going to Resort Island tomorrow!"

The whole class cheered. "Nee-san went on that trip one year," Rin eavesdropped on the girl talking next to her, who was chatting with her friend. "She said that it's so nice there, they have a hotel and hot springs and a private beach and spas and everything! The weather there is PERFECT. And all the people that work there are beautiful!"

"I'd love to get a massage from a hot guy," the other girl said. "Especially if the guy were Kagamine-san…Sakine-san is so lucky…"

Rin felt her stomach drop. _Beautiful people? Then that means there will be…really pretty girls there… _She imagined the horrific scene of Len going to the spa and being massaged by a bunch of pretty girls.

_No! Len is going out with Meiko, and I know he's a very faithful person, _Rin thought. _He'd never have a fling with another girl!_

"We'll be staying there for five days. Be sure to pack summer clothes, sunscreen, a swimsuit, sunglasses, and whatever else you need. If anyone has any special medical conditions or allergies, or needs to bring medication along with them, please see me…"

_A swimsuit! That's it! _Rin thought. _I know I'm not, um, well-endowed, but I'm sure Len will fall in love with me if I get the right swimsuit!_

"We sooo need to go swimsuit shopping after school," the girl next to her said.

"Yes, definitely! I want to get a cute orange bikini…" her friend replied.

"Um, you're Kiku-san and Acme-san, right?" Rin asked.

"Yes," the girl replied. "I'm Kiku Juon, and this here is my friend Acme Iku-san. Sorry we never really properly introduced ourselves. What do you need?"

"Um, I know it's rude of me to eavesdrop, but—can I go swimsuit shopping with you guys after school?" Rin asked.

"Sure, definitely," Juon said.

"The more the merrier!" Iku said.

"Th—thank you," Rin said, letting out a sigh of relief. "So…I can't wait for the field trip! It sounds like it's going to be a ton of fun."

Rin was going to look for the cutest swimsuit on Earth.

"I have a lot of packing to do tonight," Len sighed as he plopped on top of his bed. "Sorry that this place is such a mess—I mean, compared to your place this is just a mouse hole."

"It's okay, Lenny," Meiko said, sitting next to Len. She started to stroke his hair. "I'd still love you even if you lived in a cardboard box."

"Meiko-chan…" Len's cell phone started to ring. He got up and grabbed it off the dresser.

"Hello? This is Kagamine," Len said.

"Len-kun! It's Rin! Um, I have a question," Rin said.

"What is it?" Len asked.

"Which do you like better, blue with white polka-dots or red with white polka-dots?"

"Blue with white polka-dots. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just asking. I'm shopping right now—do you need anything for the trip?"

"Um, maybe just a new water bottle and…oh yeah, Gakupo wanted me to buy him some lemon juice for some odd reason. I pretty much have everything I need here. I'll pay you back later," Len said.

"Oh, no need to worry, Len-Len," Rin said. "Anyways, I'll talk to you later, 'kay? Bye!"

"Bye," Len said, hanging up.

"Who was that?" Meiko asked.

"Oh, it was just Rin. She's out buying supplies for the trip," Len said.

"Rin…lives with you?" Meiko asked, shocked.

"No, of course not. She lives next door," Len said. "But, we just, you know, support each other and stuff. Both her parents and mine are gone, so all we have is each other."

"Ah, I see," Meiko said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry your parents are gone though, I never would have known. My parents aren't around much either…"

"Why?" Len asked.

"They never really supported my modeling career. I ran away so I could follow my dreams, so I haven't talked to them for a long time. But Easter takes care of me, so I'm all right," Meiko said. "Besides, I have you now and that's all I need." She gave Len a peck on the cheek. Just then, her cell phone started vibrating.

"That's probably them now…they've been begging me to come home for the past year," Meiko said. "But I don't want to go home. They'll probably lock me away so I can't go anywhere anymore. I've gotten all I wanted—a good modeling career, lots of money, and a cute boyfriend."

Len read the text on Meiko's phone. It said:

Dear Meiko,

Please come home. We haven't seen you or heard from you in over a year and we're worried about you. Are you alright? Does this cell phone number still work? Please give us a call or at least respond to our texts. We miss you. Call us at 080-XXXX-XXXX. Love, Mom and Dad

"I—I went back the first time they sent a text like this to me," Meiko said. "But all they did was yell at me and hit me. I had to sneak out of the house late at night to get away. They try to fake it, but they don't care about me anymore."

"It's okay, Meiko-chan," Len said. "Forget them. I'm here for you."

"See, Len? You're the only one who understands me," Meiko said. They started to kiss.

Rin laid out her new swimsuit on her bed. It had been a fun night with Kiku-san and Acme-san—Rin finally felt like she had made some new friends. The swimsuit was a two-piece, a bikini. It was navy blue with white polka-dots, and yellow lace was sewn elegantly along the waistband and top.

_I'm sure Len will like it, _Rin thought, blushing. _I have his stuff for him, but I'm too shy to give it to him tonight. Maybe tomorrow instead._

Rin tore the tags off the swimsuit when something caught her eye. "Hey, that model looks like Meiko-san," she said to herself. "Weird." She did not notice that the tag said POLKA-DOTS ARE HOT! MISS MEIKO SAKINE FOR **CHU****LOVE BRAND.**

"Class 1-4, time to board, please. Class 1-4, time to board," the ship's intercom said.

All of Benibara Academy's first-years had boarded onto one ship, ready to depart for Resort Island. An air of excitement mixed in with the sea breeze had everyone bright and cheerful.

"L-Len kun?" Rin said as the ship started to depart. She had looked forward to this trip, hoping it would be a chance to have some alone time with Len. "Do you want to go out on the deck with me?"

"Sure," Len said, smiling. "Let's go."

"Wait a second," Meiko interjected, getting up out of the seat next to Len."Can I go with you guys too?"

"Um, I have to go give him something," Rin said, annoyed. "I—I'll tell you when to come."

"But—"

"Meiko-chan, I'll be back," Len said, winking. He gave Meiko a kiss on the cheek. Rin felt like she was about to burst. _It pisses me off, how lovey-dovey they are! _she thought. _Oh no…am I getting jealous? I don't want to ruin Len's happiness, but I just feel—ugh, I can't even explain the way I feel…_

"Oh Lenny, you're so sweet," Meiko said, sitting back down. "I'll wait for you, then. Take your time."

"Thank you," Rin said. "Well, we'll be off then, right Len?" _Lenny? What a terrible name! Len-Len is MUCH better!_

"Right," Len said. "So, um, after you, Rin-chan?"

Rin led Len out onto the deck. The sea was a mass of blue, sparkling like glitter in the sun. The sea breeze was crisp, the sky was a perfect shade of baby blue without a trace of clouds, and the sound of gulls could be heard in the distance. The ship was moving so fast that you could barely see land anymore.

Rin was wearing a short-sleeved pure white dress with a straw hat that had a bright blue ribbon. Len was wearing a white shirt, partially unbuttoned, with a pair of long blue shorts. His hair was brightly highlighted by the sun.

"The sea is beautiful, isn't it?" Len sighed. "I've been looking forward to this trip since—well, yesterday, hehe."

"Yeah, Sensei told us a bit late," Rin said.

"The color of the sea…it's like your eyes. You have pretty eyes, Rin," Len said.

"Th—thank you!" Rin exclaimed. She felt herself turning red. Her palms were so sweaty, she was barely able to grasp the grocery bag that had Len's things in it.

"So, are those the things you have for me?" Len asked.

"Oh! Um, yes. H—here you go," Rin said, flustered.

"Let's see…yeah, Gakupo's lemon juice, the water bottle, and—a bikini?" Len said, surprised.

_Oh my god, I majorly f**ked up here! _Rin thought. She felt like her brain was about to explode. Her face was redder than the reddest tomato.

"TH—THAT'S MINE!" she gasped. "I—oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I must have misplaced it!"

"It's okay, things happen," Len said, trying to be calm, but he was blushing as well. "H—here you go. It IS just my type, though. Hehehe!"

"Pervert," Rin said.

"You WANTED me to see it, so that's why you put it in there," Len laughed. "The tags are still in here—hmm? That person looks familiar…anyways, I'll be taking these tags then."

"Go ahead," Rin said. "So, um…" There was an awkward period of silence when the wind started to pick up. It blew Rin hat off her head.

"Oh no! My hat! That was my favorite, too!" Rin shouted.

Len sprung into action. He grabbed the hat just before it went over the railing—and ended up going over the railing himself.

"OH MY GOD! LEN!" Rin screamed. She ran over to the railing, expecting to see Len in the water, but—

"I'm—ugh—right here," Len said. "That scream made my ears bleed, it was so loud!" He was dangling from the railing, roughly 40-feet above the water.

"Oh, Len," Rin couldn't help but sob. She grabbed Len's arms and tried pulling him up with all her might. Len managed to climb up the railing, nimble as a monkey.

"Here's your hat," Len said, smiling.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that…you could have gotten yourself killed!" Rin exclaimed. "But, um, thanks anyway."

"It's nothing, really. That hat—it was your mother's, right?" Len asked.

"Yes," Rin said, thinking fondly of her mother. "Thank you so much, Len."

"Like I said before, it's nothing," Len said. "Now, let's go back inside before something bad really does happen."

"Yes, let's," Rin said. They walked towards the entrance, and Rin thought she felt Len touch her hand for a second.

"All first-year classes from Benibara Academy, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, and 1-4, we have reached our destination. Please offload the ship immediately. Benibara Academy…"

"Len-chan! I finally found you!" Gakupo said in a sing-song voice.

"Here is your, um, lemon juice or whatever. What the hell are you going to use it for anyways?" Len asked.

"You ignored me the whole way over. Now I'm sad," Gakupo fake-sobbed.

"I've had enough of you already," Len said.

"Well, then, you'll be glad about this—we're going to be roommates, Len-chan! For five whole days!" Gakupo cheered.

"What did I do in a past life to deserve this?" Len muttered.

"Hey, check out the resort!"

Len looked at what was in front of him and gasped. Pure white sandy beach went for miles. The hotel was a magnificent building, two large towers that were covered with windows and balconies. Behind the hotel was a mass of green, a forest of palm trees and all kinds of other tropical plants. The water was completely clear and was an aqua blue. It was a paradise that anyone would dream of.

"This is not Japan," Len breathed. "No way."

"But it is," Meiko said. "That's what everyone says on their first time though. I've been here fifteen times—you know, for photo shoots or just personal retreats. I can show you around if you want—"

"That would be my job," a girl interrupted. "You are the two boys I heard about—Kamui-sama and Kagamine-sama, yes?"

"Yes. I'm Kamui Gakupo and this is my friend Kagamine Len—Len? Hello?" Len was still staring in front of him, his mouth agape. Gakupo hit him in the back.

"Ow—oh, I'm sorry," Len said. "I'm Kagamine Len."

"Nice to meet you two. I'll be your guide throughout your stay at Resort Island!" the girl said, beaming. She looked young and had bright blue-green eyes. Her hair was an aqua-pale green color, and it was tied up in long—very long—pigtails. Her skin was a soft white and she looked like someone out of a magical-girl anime.

"My name is Hatsune Miku," the girl, Miku, said, bowing. "Now, if you please, come with me and I'll show you to your room."

"O—okay," Len said.

"Where should I go?" Meiko asked.

"You're Sakine-sama, yes? You'll be staying with Akita-sama and Sotone-sama. You should meet them, I believe they're over there," Miku said.

"Thank you, then," Meiko said, annoyed, and strutted away.

"So, you guys are from Benibara Academy, yes?" Miku asked.

"Yeah, we are," Gakupo said.

"I remember being a first-year like you two once, and I came here…" Miku said wistfully.

"How old are you?" Len asked.

"You NEVER ask a girl how old she is," Miku said. "But, since you're cute, I'll forgive you. I graduated from Benibara last year."

"Come on, Len, let's hurry so I can dump this lemon juice in my hair," Gakupo yawned.

"Why are you going to dump lemon juice in your hair?" Len asked.

"It makes your hair highlighted and shiny," Miku and Gakupo said in unison. "You know, you'd have great highlights if you put some in your hair."

_Leave it to both of them to know, _Len thought.

Miku brushed up against Len. "The only reason I work here is because there's lots of handsome men," she whispered. "But you're by far the best looking."

Len found himself staring into Miku's eyes, like she was brainwashing him. _I love Meiko, _Len thought. _But this Miku girl's kinda cute too. I can't help myself._

"I have a girlfriend, you know," Len said.

"The cute ones are always taken," Miku sighed. "But, if you ever get bored of her, you know who to call. I know some great places around here." She smiled mischievously.

_Meiko IS a bit clingy. It might be nice to try something else for a while…wait, what am I thinking? _Len kicked himself.

"I'm not giving up…Len-kun," Miku said, winking.

"Quit flirting, Len-chan!" Gakupo shouted. "Let's get a move on!"

"All right, so follow me…" Miku said, walking to the front.

Someone grabbed Len by the shoulders. "M—Meiko-chan?" Len gasped.

"Flirting, hmm? I thought I was the only one you loved," Meiko snapped. Miku turned around to look at them.

"I do love you, Meiko-chan," Len said. The other times he had said that were sincere, but this time it felt like a lie. He liked Meiko-chan a lot. But was it enough?

Meiko grabbed Len and started to kiss him, right in front of Miku's shocked face.

~CHAPTER 6 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	8. Chapter 7

SPICE! Chapter 7

"…Girls are not allowed to enter the boys' room or male workers' rooms and vice-versa. Do not think you can get away with anything for there will be workers and teachers patrolling at all hours of the night," Hanazuki-Sensei said. All the first-years were sitting in a circle around a bonfire on the beach.

"Aw, darn it," Meiko whispered, squeezing Len's hand. "But don't worry Lenny, next time we can come for a more—ah, ROMANTIC getaway. "

"Sounds lovely," Len said with a hint of sarcasm. He was getting sick of Meiko's clinginess.

"All right, now it's time to head off to your rooms and get ready for bed. Lights out at 11 o'clock," Hanazuki-Sensei said. "Goodnight, everyone!"

"Goodnight, Sensei," the class said.

Len started walking towards the hotel when someone grabbed him.

"Ah-ah-ah, YOU aren't going to bed anytime soon!" The person was Miku.

"H—Hatsune-san!" Len gasped, turning around.

"Call me Miku," Miku said.

"Okay, um, Miku-chan," Len said. "So…what's up?"

"You aren't too tired, are you? I'd like to show you around tonight," Miku said. "I know some great places. Visitors aren't really allowed though, so it'd be best to show you while everyone's asleep, you know?"

"There will be people patrolling. We might get caught, and I don't want to get you in trouble," Len said, concerned.

"Oh, I know where all the patrols will be. Where I'm taking you NONE of the teachers or workers will be around. It'll be safe, I promise," Miku said sweetly, smiling.

Miku's smile was enough to make any man melt, and although Len knew it was wrong, he couldn't help but say yes.

"Okay, so here's the plan. Lights out is at 11 o'clock, and the teachers will be patrolling till 12. There actually WON'T be any workers patrolling, they're just saying that so you guys will be wary of going out. At 11:30, I'm going to come and get you. I'll scratch on your door three times, and that's when you come out," Miku whispered.

"Okay," Len whispered excitedly. Anything to lessen the time he had to spend in a small room with Gakupo.

Len had been sitting for over two hours on the edge of his bed. Gakupo was already snoring. The place reeked like lemons. Every scratch, creak, and rumble had Len on high alert.

_She's lat_e, Len thought, looking at the clock. It was 12:30. _Maybe she got caught?_

He could feel his eyelids starting to droop. He dashed to the bathroom, splashing his face with cold water. _Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep! _he thought. _She'll be here soon, just don't fall asleep._

Finally, he heard what he had been waiting for. Those three scratches on the door.

"Miku!" Len whispered.

"It's me," Miku replied. "Come on out, the coast is clear."

Len slid off the bed and tiptoed towards the door. When he was almost there... _CREEAAAAAK… _The floor underneath him made just the slightest noise as he put his weight on it, but it felt like it was as loud as a thousand gunshots.

"Len-chan?" Gakupo grumbled, half-asleep. "Go to sleep already!"

"I'm just—um, going to go, uh—use the bathroom! That's it!" Len gasped. "N—nothing out of the ordinary! I'll be right back!"

"Okay," Gakupo said. "But just…be more…quiet next time…please…you're like…a frickin' elephant…nnghh…" He started to snore again.

"Whew," Len sighed. He slowly turned the doorknob and slid out the door.

"Len-kun!" Miku said, letting out a sigh of relief. She embraced Len, burying Len's face into her breasts.

"Can't—breathe—" Len sputtered.

"Sorry," Miku said. "Now let's get out of here before anyone wakes up. Come on!"

Miku dragged Len out of the building and they dashed across the beach.

"This way," Miku said. They were heading towards what looked like a houseboat.

"What's that?" Len asked.

"It's my special area," Miku said. "It's where all the workers used to live, but it's been abandoned for years now. They just kept it here for decoration. No one goes around it anymore."

"Cool," Len said. The houseboat was anchored way out, and a long dock was the only way to get there. It was a large silver structure that looked a bit ship-like. Even though no one was there, there were lights twinkling in a soft gold color in the windows. Painted on the side in cursive were the words, "THE CROWN JEWEL."

The dock felt a bit rickety from wear-and-tear over the years, and was rotting. Len and Miku quickly ran across it towards the entrance. Miku got out a small silver hairpin.

"You're going to pick the lock?" Len asked.

"I'm a pro. I can pick any lock there is on the island," Miku said, and she stuck the hairpin into the large lock on the door and began picking it. The lock clicked open.

"Welcome to my secret pad," Miku said. "Make yourself at home."

The walls were a solid-gold color and the carpeting was a deep purple with gold trim. There was a large glass chandelier in the middle of the foyer.

"They took most of the furniture out of here, so there isn't much," Miku said. "But they DID still keep the bar and drinks in here. Follow me."

She led them up a spiraling staircase to the top floor. There was a shelf lined with all kinds of wines and beers, and cups hanging from a rack. Miku grabbed a few bottles and started creating a concoction. She filled up a cup and handed it to Len.

"It's raspberry-chocolate. It's very good, it tastes just like candy, nothing like beer," she said, smiling. "Try some! I know you'll like it."

"B—b—beer?" Len gasped. "But isn't this, like, illegal?"

"Don't be such a baby, Len. Just a couple of drinks and no one will know," Miku said. "It's just you and me!" She filled up a cup for herself and took a swig.

"Didn't you graduate only last year?" Len asked.

"Heck yeah! I'm nineteen! But three years is much too long to wait for something THIS good!" Len stared in horror at the three cups Miku had already finished off. **(REMEMBER KIDS, NO DRINKING TILL YOU'RE 21. I REPEAT, NO DRINKING TILL YOU'RE 21. IT'S BAD.)**

"Please, Len-kun, just try it. Just a tiny sip. It won't kill you," Miku said, trying to sound pitiful. "I—I'd be honored if you tried one of the drinks I made." She looked up at Len with large, heart-shaped pupils.

Len felt himself melting. Miku was just too darn cute. "I—I guess a tiny taste won't do any harm," he sighed. "There's nothing wrong in living a little bit." He took a sip, and immediately his expression changed. A heavenly taste engulfed his taste buds. He smiled.

"This IS good!" he exclaimed. "It's the best thing I've ever tasted in my life!" He gulped down the rest within a few seconds.

"This next one is blueberry-tart-flavored," Miku said, starting to prepare another drink. "See? I told you you'd like it! " This time, Miku slipped a small white pill into Len's drink. It quickly disintegrated.

_This one will really make him fly, _Miku thought, laughing a little. She handed it to Len, smiling, and they continued to drink.

"Damn, I know it's bad for you and it's illegal, but I can't help but like it!" Len laughed. He had already downed several drinks. "Haha…hahaha…Miku-chan? Where are you?"

"Here I am," Miku said cheerfully. She came in through another door. The houseboat gave a large lurch, knocking both of them off their feet.

"What the—" Len scrambled to the window. "W—we're…moving?"

"Yep. I put it on auto-pilot," Miku said. "Just me and you and this ship. So romantic! Don't be worried, it'll only circle around the island a couple times. We'll be all right! The night is young and as are we, my friend!"

Len started to feel lethargic. His vision was getting blurred and he felt like his legs and arms were made of gelatin. His stomach felt upset, and he kept burping like he ate something bad.

"I don't—feel so good, Miku-chan," he said.

"You'll be all right," Miku said. "It's probably just because it's the first time you've drunk anything. Maybe if we go up on deck the fresh sea air will make you feel better."

"O—okay," Len said weakly. He tried walking up the stairs, but his vision was so blurred he tripped. He tried getting up but his arms and legs would not cooperate. He was shaking. He dragged himself up the stairs until he came out through a small open entryway…the deck.

_Oh f*ck, _he thought. _I feel so sh*tty right now. I feel like I could just die…is this how being drunk feels?_

Thinking made his head hurt. Miku hoisted him up to his feet. He could feel all those good flavors, the raspberry chocolate, the blueberry tart, everything—coming back up. He dashed towards the guardrail and lurched his torso over, and puked.

"Uuuughhhh, uuuuwaaaulll…." he moaned, and started coughing. "I feel like…like sh*t, man…"

"Here's some water to rinse your mouth out," Miku said, handing him a water bottle. "You get drunk after having only eight drinks? That's sooo wimpy!"

"I—I didden know," Len slurred. "It being onny my firs time, ya know. But I don think I ever do dat again, ya know?"

"It was the same for me the first time I tried this stuff," Miku said. "But it doesn't affect you later on."

"Meiko'll be mad at me in da mornin'," Len said. "'Cause I came uppa here wit you, Miku. But it was wort it. Meiko is just a bit uvva handful sometime, even doh she's weal pwetty."

"She seemed real clingy," Miku said, cradling Len's head in her arms and running her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, exactwee. She gets all jelluz and stuff wheneva I be talkin' to anuddah girl, and she say she loo me but she can be a bit of a beatch sometime. I'm not sure if I really loo her as much as she loo me like she says, I feel like I lyin', but I dunno…." Len sighed.

"Poor Len-kun," Miku said. "It sounds like you need someone else. You should break up with Meiko as soon as possible!"

"I thinks I will," Len said. "To me, a pason who lovas you is one dat you always wanna be wit, and you enjoy bein' with them as much as dey enjoy bein' wit you. They wisten to yo' pwoblems, and givva you advice, and you do da same for dem. You loo spendin' every minute an' hour an' day an' night with them, no matter wat. That's—that's kinda like what we're doin' right now, Miku-chan." He could feel himself getting hot, he didn't know if it was because he was drunk or something else.

"Well, you see, my—hic—problem is findin' a boyfriend," Miku said, the drinks starting to get to her. "I feel really alone. No guy'll go out with me since I'm fresh outta—hic—high school. They don' think I grown up enough, but hic—I'm cute and very mature—hic—for my age. I wish der was someone for—hic—me…"

"The truth is Miku, I—hic—think I've fallen in love with you," Len said. His vision was starting to blur more than usual, he knew he was likely on the verge of passing out.

"L—Len-kun? Really?" Miku slurred. "Even doh I'm foh years oldah den you?"

"I don' care. You're beautiful, Miku-chan," Len said, grabbing her.

"I think you's cute too. I—I realize I love ya so much," Miku said. "Heck, I'm-a—hic—drunk. Come ova here and kiss me, boyfriend!"

Their lips automatically locked together.

"Mmmmmm…."

"Mmmmmm…"

When the boat finally stopped, dropping anchor by where they began, they both blacked out.

"Gee, I can't seem to get to sleep. I thought a walk would calm me down," Rin said to herself. She was walking across a rickety dock beside a large houseboat. She could hear the sound of the waves lapping gently against the support beams, and the creak of the dock as she slowly strode across it. A chilly wind blew, giving her goosebumps.

_Man this is a large vessel, _Rin thought. _But the lights are on. Maybe that means someone's home? I should just sneak in and warm up a bit before I head back…_

There was a large, opened lock that was hanging from the door. _Yup, someone's in here all right, _she thought. _If someone finds me, I'll just say I was sleepwalking. _

She slipped in through the door and ended up in what looked like the foyer. It was bare of any furnishings besides the purple-and-gold carpeting.

_It doesn't look like anyone's been in here for a long time, _Rin thought. _But it's a bit warmer._

"I don't love you, Meiko…I'm sorry, but we'll have to break up…"

Rin jumped in surprise. "A—a gh—gh—gh—ghost?" she stuttered. "I—I'm really sorry for intruding, Ghost-sama! I'll take my leave immediately! I'm really sorry!"

Just as she was about to step out the door she heard the voice again.

"I've fallen in love with someone else, Meiko-chan…so please forgive me, but this…is goodbye…"

_Wait, that voice—it sounds like Len-kun! It's coming from up above! He must be here too! And breaking up with Meiko! Hehe, _Rin thought. She dashed up a set of stairs and ended up outside again, on the deck.

"Please, Meiko-chan...leave me alone. We aren't together…anymore…" Len was lying against the cold wood deck, talking in his sleep. A girl with long blue hair was lying next to him, also passed out. The place reeked of alcohol.

_Oh, he's just talking in his sleep, _Rin thought. _B—but has Len been…DRINKING? He's only 15!_

Rin, a worried look on her face, prodded Len with her foot. "L—Len-kun? Are—are you okay?"

"Nnnnn…ne? Rin…chan…is—is that you?" Len's eyes were glazed over as he lifted his head and tried to focus.

"Yes, it's me, Len-kun," Rin said. "I found you all passed out up here? What's going on? Who's this girl? Have you been drinking? You know we're only 15! It's illegal! Drinking is unhealthy! You better explain yourself!" Rin started to babble.

"Rin-chan!" Len gasped, finally snapping back to reality. "Um—um—I was taking a walk and I found this girl up here! Her name's Hatsune-san!"

"But why the alcohol? Len-kun—I thought you were better than that!" Rin cried. "I—I thought you were the type to follow the rules! Now you've up and become a delinquent—I'm so disappointed!" She felt her eyes start to tear up.

"It's nothing like that!" Len exclaimed. "She works here, she was moving a barrel of wine to the cellar when I found her and then she was so surprised she tipped it over and then it broke and spilled all over her and me. I've—I've never even had a DROP of alcohol in my life! Seriously, I'm telling the truth here! Please believe me, Rin-chan!" He felt terrible lying, but he knew Rin would be crushed if she learned the truth.

"Oh, I see. Th—thank goodness. So, did you clean it up?" Rin asked, breathing a sigh of relief. She knew Len-kun was a good boy, he'd never stoop that low. Right?

"Yeah, we did. But by the time we came back up here, we were both so tired that we pretty much passed out on the spot," Len lied. "But we're fine. Really."

"You'll probably catch a cold from being out here for so long," Rin said, concerned.

"Yeah, I think I'll head back to my room and take a shower to get the smell—I mean, get ready for bed," Len said.

"But what about the girl—Hatsu—whatever-her-name-is?" Rin asked.

"I'll carry her back, I guess," Len said, walking over and trying to wake up the still-asleep Miku. She was a lot heavier than she looked, but Len managed to get her up off the ground.

"I'll— be—fine," Len grunted. "Now, shall we head back to our rooms?"

"Yeah. It's a bit creepy out here," Rin said. "Come on, let's go." She smiled.

_The things I get myself into, _Len thought. _Argh, what to do?_

Len was refreshed by the morning. Gakupo had not noticed his absence during the night, Miku managed to get back to the worker's house before everyone woke up, and Rin believed his lie. He was all in the clear—or so he thought.

"It was really nice last night," Gakupo said as he and Len headed down to the dining area for breakfast. "You were pretty quiet, though—it was as if you weren't even there! Odd, huh?"

"Yeah, real odd," Len said, laughing nervously. "I'm a quiet sleeper, I guess—oh, good morning, Meiko-chan!"

"Hey, there—you little b*tch," Meiko snapped. "So, you have fun last night? With ANOTHER girl?" She stepped right in front Len, stopping him in his tracks.

"It's not like that," Len said, waving his hands, his face beginning to turn flushed. "I was just helping her out—"

"Helping her out, huh? I'm sure you were," Meiko said. "I can tell by that hickey on your neck, broad as daylight. Certainly wasn't from me!"

_I forgot…with Miku-chan…my brain was totally fried, _Len thought. _Sh*t, that's just great. Marvelous._

"I—I'd better go now," Gakupo said nervously. "I—I have to tie my shoe—over there. Bye!" He ran off.

_No support whatsoever…dumbass, _Len thought.

"It's only a cut," Len said. "I hit myself against a sharp corner, and—"

"Sharp corner my ass!" Meiko shouted. "I thought you loved me! You seemed different from all the other guys—more kind, more thoughtful, and definitely cuter as well! I thought you wouldn't use me, but you ended up just like the rest. Just wanted to use me as your f*ckbuddy, huh? Got anything to say for yourself, shota-boy? Huh?" Her eyes were sending death rays at Len.

Len was too stunned to speak. He never prepared himself for this type of situation.

"How'd you find out?" Len asked.

"I have a good sense, Len. I just know," Meiko said. "Don't you dare doubt me!"

"I—I was just going to let you off easily…" Len said quietly. By this time a crowd had gathered around them, gaping in awe.

"Let me off easily? Because you liked that other girl?" Meiko bellowed. "Look, Len, I've had enough of your sh*t. Your excuses mean nothing. NOTHING! I know snails who can make better excuses than you! You think you can play me? You can't get 2 for 1, Len. That's just life. Don't even try to come running back to me, Len—just f*ck off, okay? F*ck off. I'm letting you off REAL easy, Len. Next time I see you, I'll be ready to beat the sh*t out of your pretty-boy face!"

"Well, you know what, Sakine? You don't have the right to call me Len anymore. You have NO rights. I've had enough of you for a while now. You're so damn clingy, and act like a f*ckin' hoebag all the time. I'm letting YOU off easily, definitely—I've had enough of you, you insecure b*tch!" Len shouted. "Now, good day to you!"

Meiko gasped, and the whole crowd was silent. Len could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Just as he was about to turn toe—

SLAP! Len felt tears come flying out of his eyes. The right side of his face felt like someone had lit it with a match.

"Good day to YOU, my friend," Meiko said, and walked away.

Len was stunned. Rin came running over.

"I—I'm so sorry, Len-kun," she said quietly. She hugged him.

"It's okay, Rin. I don't care. She's gone now," Len said. "I'm free now. That's a good thing. I'm actually happy!" He tried to laugh, but only a small chuckle came out.

"Oh, Len-kun…I'm sorry…"

Rin felt terribly guilty. She was the one who had spilled to Meiko in the first place.

~CHAPTER 7 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	9. Chapter 8

SPICE! Chapter 8

Len had been seething in his room all day. He did not go to the beach. He did not participate in class activities. He repeatedly dunked himself in a tub of cold water so he'd get a cold and wouldn't have to do anything with anybody that day.

_I feel like total crap, _Len thought. _I mean, sure, I did things with Miku, but I wasn't in the right state of mind and I'll never do it again! It didn't give Meiko any right to go off like that!_

He had been holding an ice pack against his cheek all day. It still throbbed as if he had been burned.

_ I don't want to see any of them, _Len thought. _Not Miku, not Meiko, not Gakupo, and not even Rin. I just want to be left alone for awhile!_

There was a soft knock on the door.

"Go away, Gakupo," Len snapped. "You were here only an hour ago. What do you want now?"

"It's not Gakupo," someone said, opening the door. It was Miku.

"You don't want to speak to me right now," Len said. "I don't want to make another person hate me today."

"I—I just wanted to see if you're all right. I heard you had a cold, and—oh, it's all my fault," Miku sighed.

"I actually feel fine," Len said. "But, I'd rather be alone now. Thanks for checking on me, though. At least someone cares…" There was an awkward moment of silence.

"Wh—what Sakine-san did was wrong!" Miku cried, piercing the air.

"I don't believe in hitting girls," Len sighed. "But I really wish I could hit Sakine, just once. But I don't believe in violence either…"

"You're a good boy, Len-kun," Miku said. "Th—that's why I like you. As for me, I'm a terrible person. I get carried away really easily, like last night. You said no—I shouldn't have forced you. You're too young. I've tarnished your kind innocence, Len-kun, and now—now I just feel terrible!" She started to cry.

"D—don't cry!" Len gasped. "I should be the one who's ashamed right now! It was my fault! I made the choice to do it, so don't worry! Please—just stop crying…please…" Len hated moments like this. Every time he was with a girl, she'd either get mad at him or burst into tears eventually.

_ Like with Rin-chan, _Len thought tenderly. _I—I could never protect her when we were little. It was always the opposite!_

"It—it was only my second time drinking, really," Miku sobbed. "I—I know it's bad for you, and I don't like it. But the people around me all said it was cool and sophisticated to drink, that it showed maturity. But when you do—you just end up looking like a fool and making horrible choices, and you feel like a worthless piece of crap afterward! I—I'll never do that to you again, Len-kun. And not to myself either. Not to anyone else…"

Len was stunned. Miku's outburst was spontaneous, and although it didn't quite relate to what they were talking about, Len had no choice but to listen. He wrapped Miku in his arms to make her feel better.

"You're so caring," Miku said, wiping her tears. "You—you aren't mad at me either, are you?"

"Why would I?" Len asked.

"Oh, thank goodness. It took a lot of courage for me to manage to come up here and see your face," Miku said. "I thought you'd be furious…I mean, I did make you break up with your girlfriend and all, but—but I wonder how Sakine-san found out?"

"It couldn't have been Rin-chan," Len said. "She's too nice. I do remember that before we all headed back to the hotel Sakine wanted to spend time with me, but because of the rules we couldn't. Also, she saw you and I talking when we arrived, so maybe she was suspicious?"

"Yeah, maybe she was," Miku said. "She acts so high-and-mighty but she's probably still cherry."

"Ch—cherry?" Len asked, shocked. He started to blush.

"You know, cherry. A…virgin, yes?" Miku replied. "Why are you acting so uncomfortable? Your right eye is twitching and you're as red as a fire truck. Len-kun?"

"Er…" Len said. The cat definitely got his tongue.

"You mean you—"

"Um—"

"Have already—"

"About that—"

"Done—"

"It's—it's not what you think!"

"So, you—you know—with that Sakine girl?" Miku gasped.

"Y—yeah…" Len said awkwardly. "She wanted to, so, um…"

"Goodness! Kids don't waste time nowadays, do they!" Miku breathed.

"You sound like a grandmother," Len sighed.

"Are you implying that I'm old?" Miku snapped. "I—I'm only eighteen, you know!"

"I didn't mean it in a bad way, of course not!" Len gasped. Miku pushed him down forcefully onto the bed and started to kiss him.

"Mmm—"

"Can an old lady do that?" Miku said softly.

"No, Miku-chan," Len said. "No…"

"I'll be the one to make you feel better, Len-kun," Miku smirked, starting to take off her shirt.

"Miku-chan, wait—"

"It's okay. I promise I won't be the rebound girl," Miku said. "I promise I won't hurt you ever again, Len-kun…"

"Miku…chan…." Len let himself get lost in the sea of Miku's soft, angelic blue-green hair.

Rin sat on a swing hanging from a palm tree, dangling her feet in the clear aquamarine water. It gently lapped against her toes.

"Oh…" Rin sighed. "Len-kun hasn't come out of his room all day. I wonder how he's feeling…it must hurt."

Rin felt terrible that she was the one who had caused Len and Meiko's spat, which led to their break-up. She did not want to ruin Len's happiness, but she knew the relationship between Len and Meiko had been a toxic one.

"It's for the best, Rin," Rin said to herself. "Even Len himself said he was happy about it. And this will provide a new opportunity for you. Break-ups always hurt afterward, no matter what happens. It's normal. Len will come out eventually…"

Rin had a feeling that Meiko was doing things to Len in order to change him. She was that kind of controlling girl. Little by little she had stolen Len's innocence, Rin was positive about that. There was one thing that she prayed Meiko and Len hadn't done, but she knew they did. It was the one thing she had feared the most.

_We're so young though, _Rin thought. _I know I shouldn't be thinking about these things already, but I am. And it's Len's choice if he wants to do these types of things. We all mature at different rates. I'm so selfish. I'm a sick, sick person. I can never be a bride now…_

"Hey, um, Kagamine-san," someone called. "Mind if we share the swing?"

Rin turned around. Much to her surprise, it was Meiko.

"Oh, um, sure, Sakine-san," Rin said. "How are you today?"

"I can barely describe how I feel today," Meiko said, sitting down next to Rin. "I'm not angry or sad, but I'm not happy either. Kind of a neutral feeling, I guess."

"I'm really sorry for what happened between you and Len-kun," Rin said. "It's all my fault…"

"Don't be sorry," Meiko said. "I'm actually really happy that you told me the truth; that you were brave enough to tell the truth, even though you're close friends with Kagamine-kun. Although I don't really know you very well…I just wanted to say thank you."

"Oh, uh, no problem," Rin said.

"I feel it's my fault, really," Meiko said. "I knew Kagamine-kun wasn't 100%-happy with me. But I kept pushing him. I should've let him go free. But he was cute and kind, and the first boy I'd met that treated me normally and wasn't a sleaze. I took advantage of him, and that's why he ran off with another girl. I never allowed him to breathe…I'm a terrible person."

"You aren't all that terrible, Sakine-san," Rin said. Her thoughts had been right on the dot.

"You're just saying that to be nice," Meiko said. "But really…I've always been kind of a shy, awkward girl. So I built this exterior character—this strong, take-charge kind-of-girl character, and I can't seem to get out of my shell. My exterior character kept everything inside. She tried to act mature, and did things even if she knew they were wrong. And now I've messed up and hurt myself and others. I don't want to do this anymore." Rin felt a single tear land on her hand.

"Sakine-san…" Rin put her arm around Meiko. "It's all right. Really…" She never knew that such a sensitive girl was sleeping within Meiko. Rin wasn't sure what to do or say.

"I am a bitch," Meiko said. "I really am. And I want to change that. I'm sure everyone would like to say that to my face. Go ahead, please do it."

"Um…" Rin wasn't a fan of calling people names.

"Go on," Meiko said. "I don't mind."

"You ARE a bitch!" Rin shouted. "It's true what you did to Len-kun was wrong, and it's true that he as well did things that weren't right, either. But now you've learned from this. I was always kind of afraid of you, Sakine-san, but now I see that you aren't all that bad…"

"Thank you," Meiko sobbed. "Shit, this is f*cking embarrassing…I'm crying in front of you…I never cry…"

"Just let it all out," Rin said. "You'll feel much better afterward."

Meiko sobbed for, Rin didn't know how long. It seemed like the world stood still and it was just them, together.

"Oh, I do feel much better," Meiko said, wiping her face.

"I'm happy, Sakine-san," Rin said.

"Um, you can call me Meiko," Meiko said. "May I…call you Rin-chan?"

"Sure…Meiko-chan," Rin said, smiling. They both laughed.

"I think we'll become great friends, Rin-chan," Meiko said.

"Of course!" Rin said.

"I've forgotten all about Kagamine-kun now. We're history. I'm going to be a good girl now," Meiko said.

"I'm happy to get to know you a little better, Meiko-chan," Rin said.

"You too. Nice swimsuit choice, by the way," Meiko said. "I remember modeling for that one."

"Thanks—oh my gosh, you model?" Rin gasped. "That's so cool!"

"I'll take you to one of my shoots sometime, when they come up," Meiko said.

"Oh, I'd love to!" Rin said.

"But first—you're it!" Meiko pushed Rin off the swing. Rin, surprised, grabbed Meiko's foot and pulled her in as well.

_I've hurt both Meiko-chan and Len-kun, _Rin thought. _But things will be all right. I know they will. I just need to make sure I don't get to close to Meiko-chan…or things could get bad. REALLY bad._

Little did Rin know that Len happened to be watching her from the shore.

~CHAPTER 8 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	10. Chapter 9

SPICE! Chapter 9

"Wh—why are there a bunch of new girls here? And a bunch of _GUYS?" _Len gasped. It had been a week since the class trip, and the heat of summer was on its way. It was strange to see one student, let alone a mass of students, transfer in this late into the year.

"The new girls are pretty cute if you ask me," Gakupo laughed. "Does it bother you that there are more guys to steal the girls' attention, Len?"

"No. Of course not," Len snapped. "Personally, I'd rather not think of girls right now. Girls make me want to puke."

"If girls are that bad, then you like guys now?" Gakupo asked, smiling.

"NOT GAY," Len said.

"You get dumped for the first time and now you've lost your sense of humor," Gakupo said, shaking his head. "There are many more fish in the sea, Len. You're bound to find a better one."

"How do you know all these things? You probably don't even have a girlfriend," Len said coldly.

"I am the type who prefers not to broadcast their relationships to the whole world," Gakupo said. "And at least my girlfriend can be assured that I will never cheat on her."

"It wasn't cheating!" Len shouted.

"Fine. Have it your way at Burger King.* It was a fling with Hatsune-san. Case closed," Gakupo said.

"I—I was under the influence!" Len exclaimed. "I never meant to do those kind of things!"

"VODKA VODKA!" Gakupo burst out laughing. "Sorry, I just had to say that for some odd reason."

_You…are such a dumbass, _Len thought, shaking his head.

"You two are HIL-arious," Meiko said. Len hadn't noticed that she was sitting next to them.

"Sakine-san," Len said.

"I'm not mad at you, Kagamine-san. I don't hate you. I've been thinking about it all along, and I've come to realize that we both have our own set of problems to figure out. Maybe one day we can be friends, but until then, we must follow our own path," Meiko said.

"Um, okay then?" Len said, confused.

"You are so dumb! Can't you tell that I'm willing to give you a second chance?" Meiko snapped.

"Sure," Len said, shrugging. He didn't really care either way.

"One cannot love till one has also lost," Gakupo said.

"Where did you get that from?" Len asked.

"Off a greeting card!" Gakupo said cheerfully. "For a friend who suffered through a terrible break-up."

"I don't want it," Len said.

"Darn. I even got out the ice cream and sappy movies," Gakupo said.

"Attention please!" Hanazuki-Sensei called. "Sorry I am late, everyone!"

"Good morning, Sensei," the class said in unison.

"You are all probably wondering why there are so many new students today. The reason is because Sakurai Public High School, where all these students come from, burnt down last night due to a gas explosion. However, the city does not have enough money to rebuild the school, and since Benibara is trying to become co-ed, they will all attend here from now on. Please be kind to them and offer them a warm welcome. For all of you new students, my name is Hanazuki-Sensei, and I will be your homeroom teacher. I welcome you all," Hanazuki-Sensei said. There was a crash by the doorway.

"Oh dear, oh dear! Shion-san! Are you okay?" Hanazuki-Sensei ran over to a young man who was laying on the floor. He had short blue hair and was dressed up in a long-sleeved dress shirt with a black tie and black dress pants, obviously not another student. He appeared to be in his early twenties. The papers he had been carrying had exploded everywhere.

"I'm all right," he said, getting up and scratching his head. "Just a bit clumsy today, I guess. I'm sorry." He started to quickly gather up his papers.

"Everyone, this is our new school counselor. We've never had one in this school before, so this is truly great. Please give him all of your attention," Hanazuki-Sensei said, stepping off to the side.

"Um, hello everyone! Sorry about that. My name is Kaito Shion, and as Hanazuki-Sensei said, I am your new school counselor. I came from Sakurai, but now I'll be working here, so I can't wait to get to know all of you. You can call me Kaito-san, Shion-san, Shion-Sensei, Kaito-Sensei, even K-kun—whatever you prefer to call me. I enjoy being called Kaito myself," Kaito said.

_Whatever we prefer to call him…he seems more like a 'Baka-Sensei'* to me—BS! _Len thought, laughing.

"I'm twenty years old, so I only graduated from high school a couple of years ago. Since high school is still fresh in my mind, I can understand all of the problems you may be going through. Whether it's peer-pressure, grades, family issues, relationships, friendships, orientation, substance abuse, bullying, violence, anything—I know it all. A school counselor is always here for you to talk to about any problems, and anything you tell me is purely confidential. I will NEVER tell any of the other staff, the authorities, your parents, friends, or other family, or any of my friends or relatives—I am sworn to secrecy. You can set up an appointment with me any time, or even if you see me in the halls you can ask me about things. My office is in Room 14, in the club room building. You can swing by any time you like." Kaito said.

_Ugh, like I'd want to tell HIM about my problems? School counselor…just seems like a creepy kind of therapist. And therapist is THE and RAPIST together, _Len thought. _All the girls are staring at him with hearts in their eyes. How disgusting! _He burst out laughing.

"Since you seem so keen on the idea, how about you come up here and be my example?" Kaito asked, smiling.

"No, it's quite all right. I just thought of something funny is all," Len said, shaking his head.

"I insist. Come on up. What is your name?" Kaito asked.

"Um, Kagamine Len," Len said, coming up to the front.

"Nice to meet you, Len-kun," Kaito said. "You look like you have a lot of problems. I can tell by your eyes."

"I don't have any problems," Len lied.

"Of course Len has no problems! Len is perfect!" Rin blurted. Once she realized what she said, she covered her face.

"You have relationship problems. You're trying to decide between many girls, but there are three main ones that stand out in your mind. Two are in this class, and the other is a bit older than you. You feel like you've become a worse person, and only want to be honest to your heart," Kaito said. "How about that for a story?" The class giggled.

Len felt as if someone had shot him in the back with an arrow. He could feel himself turning red. Kaito had everything exactly right…well, maybe.

"Len-kun, the only advice I can give you is that the one girl that you feel the most strongly about is probably the best choice. The girl that has your best interests in mind and you feel good being around her. Maybe the best-friend-type? Be careful having a love four-square, for you may end up getting entangled too far in to go back. If you don't make a decision soon, you'll continue to hurt the one that you love," Kaito said.

"That's deep stuff," Len said. "Um, thank you, I guess?"

"I'm always here if you need to talk. I'm always here if you need me, Len," Kaito said.

Len took a step back. _Therapist, _he thought.

"All right, so that's how a typical meeting goes. You can take a seat now, Len-kun," Kaito said. "So, if you're interested, just put your name and class number in this box. Some of you I'll get today and some tomorrow. Thank you very much!"

_Oh my god, _Len thought. _Kaito is psychic or something. I know he meant Miku and Meiko, but who is the other girl in this class? _Len pondered this question as Rin walked up and placed a tiny piece of paper inside the box.

Rin took a deep breath. Her hands shaking, she touched the cold, silver doorknob.

_I put my name in the box and he called me in, _she thought. _But I'm so scared. Now is my only chance to turn back. It's a really important matter, but…should I go or not?_

"It'll all be okay, Rin," she said to herself. "I'm sure it'll be quick. And Kaito-Sensei is nice. He won't judge me." Just as she was about to turn the doorknob—

"Hi, Rin-chan! It's a surprise to see you here," Len greeted.

"Oh my god!" Rin shrieked, yanking her hand from the doorknob as if it had burned her. She jumped, landing in Len's arms.

"I—I'm sorry!" she gasped. "It's—it's you! Len-kun!"

"I'm sorry I scared you," Len said. "Are you here to talk to…um, Kaito?"

"No, no, not at all! Nothing of the sort! Wait—this is the counseling office? I was heading to the literary club room next door! I wasn't paying attention! I'm a bit off today, I guess!" Rin exclaimed, waving her hands in the air.

"Oh, so that's it," Len said. "Yeah…that Kaito is a bit creepy in my opinion. You should be careful, Rin-chan."

"Of course," Rin said, flustered. "Not that'd I'd ever tell HIM anything, you know. No siree! Um, I'll be on my way, then!" She ran into the room next door.

"Hey, there! Are you here to join the computer club?" A very tall, nerdy-looking boy with giant, thick glasses and acne smiled at Rin. "A babe that's fascinated with computers? God must have answered my prayers! What's your name? Are you a first-year?" He started to walk towards her.

"Ack, no!" Rin gasped. She stood frozen in horror.  
"You're as red as a tomato! You must be into me! Not to toot my own horn since God has endowed me with the most amazing pheromones, but—beep-a-beep-a-beep-beep-beep!" the boy said, then whispered, "You know, the other members won't be getting here for another ten minutes or so. No one can hear anything through these thick walls. We can close the door and windows, shut off the lights, and get it on like Donkey Kong."

"You are a sicko! You'll never get a date looking like a rotten pizza and talking like some 38-year-old man who watches child pornography in his mom's basement!" Rin screamed, running out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

"Darn it, foiled again! I thought those tips from Hot Pick-Up Lines 101 would work," the boy sighed. "She's a cold-hearted woman, but I'm sure she's just playing hard-to-get. Maybe a different approach…"

_Ew, ew, ew! I feel like I need to go barf, _Rin thought. _Len-kun is nowhere to be seen…that's good. I can go visit Kaito-Sensei safely now. _She went over and opened the next door.

"Oh, Rin-chan! I've been waiting for you. Have a seat," Kaito said.

"Hi, Kaito-Sensei," Rin said.

"Just call me Kaito. I insist," Kaito said.

"Um, okay…" Rin took a seat in a red beanbag across from Kaito's desk.

"I thought you looked familiar. I believe we bumped into each other the last time I was here," Kaito said. (See the end of Chapter 5!)

"Oh yeah, I remember," Rin said, blushing. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's all right. I'm still alive, right?" Kaito said, laughing. "Would you like some tea? Coffee? Juice? Biscuits?"

"I'm fine," Rin said.

"I saw on your note you wrote 'urgent matter', so I decided I'd meet up with you first," Kaito said. "I heard you live alone. Is it perhaps financial troubles? Safety? Schoolwork? Your parents' tragic deaths causing you grief? You're a very strong girl, making a living for yourself at such a young age."

"Things at home are fine," Rin said. "It's just…it's kind of a…relationship trouble…"

"You fancy Len-kun, yes?" Kaito asked. "But both of you are related. You and him, both your last names are Kagamine?"

"Yes. We're not really related though," Rin said.

"I see. So…what is it you wanted to talk about?" Kaito asked.

"I—I've liked Len-kun for a really long time. My first kiss was with him. It was his first time as well. But, he just doesn't seem to view me as a love interest. He treats me more like a sister or a best friend," Rin said.

"Len-kun is a complicated fellow," Kaito said. "He already has a girlfriend?"

"I'm not really sure. He's been seeing different girls…he's gone at night a lot…you don't think…" Rin was shaking her head.

"In this day and age, I wouldn't be surprised. All of the girls love him. He can make them do anything for him," Kaito said.

"But—but that's not the type of person Len-kun is! The types of girls he goes out with are very controlling. They persuade him to do things that are often bad," Rin said. "Len-kun is really nice, and he doesn't believe in hurting others. He's really a sensitive person. I know the true Len-kun. I've known him all my life, so please do not judge him harshly!" Rin's eyes started to fill up with tears.

"I—I just want to be his girlfriend. I want to be with him forever. It makes me jealous and upset when he's with other girls. I'm right in front of him, but he never notices me," Rin sobbed. "Will he continue ignoring me for the rest of our lives? Every time he talks to, even LOOKS at another girl, I feel like I'm being stabbed in the heart. I feel like I'm dying inside…"

"There, there," Kaito said, handing her a box of tissues.

"S—sorry for l—losing my composure," Rin said, wiping her eyes.

"It's all right. As a counselor, I'm only here to listen," Kaito said, smiling. He handed her a piece of paper.

"GirlTalk Magazine? I—I don't read this," Rin said.

"It's called 'Kiss Him or Ditch Him.' It's a pretty good article. Choose a description that you think best fits Len-kun," Kaito said.

"Um, okay," Rin said. The types listed out were The Quiet, The Sensitive, The Pervert, The Control Freak, The Loudmouth, The Gross, The Full-of-Himself, The Distant, and The Player. The Player was the one that caught Rin's eye.

"The Player: This boy is popular with the ladies, and by popular, we mean he has enough girlfriends for every day of the week. You're, um, Tuesday. Although you may like him, his attention is aimed towards other girls. It may not be because he's obsessed with girls; he may have some of his own personal conflicts and cannot think straight. He's not a reliable guy, and you deserve better. He will only end up breaking your heart. Ditch-o-meter Rating: Five out of five," Rin said.

"It's interesting you chose that one," Kaito said, nodding.

"I—I don't want to ditch Len-kun," Rin said, handing the article back. "It's impossible. I just—I love him so much, it's impossible to ever love another." She looked at the clock. It was already 4:30pm.

"I—I have to be at work by 5:30," Rin said.

"I'll let you go, Rin-chan. Perhaps you'd like to set up another meeting?" Kaito asked.

"That would be nice," Rin said. "Could we do it maybe tomorrow morning during homeroom? I could stay here longer—not that I mean anything by that, of course!"

"Anytime is fine," Kaito said. "See you later, Rin-chan. Thank you for coming!"

"Thank you, Kaito," Rin said as she walked out the door. She suddenly felt really warm, and her face was turning redder by the second.

_I—it can't be, _Rin thought frantically. _Kaito is older than me, and he's a school counselor at that. It's impossible. It will never work. It—what am I thinking? I'm in love with LEN-KUN! But…I think I may be falling in love with Kaito! _

Rin heard a door open. "You came back for me! I knew you couldn't leave me alone!" It was the computer club guy!

Rin fled. "I—I'm in love with Len Kagamine!" she screamed. She slammed into something, falling down.

"Whoa, Rin-chan…"

"I—I'm so sorry!" Rin gasped. She was right on top of Len.

"I never knew you were so…forward!" Len said, surprised.

"D—doing it right inside the school!" the computer club guy shouted, shocked. "I—I concede! I'll never be able to compete!" He ran back into the computer club room, sobbing.

"What's going on—Rin-chan?" Kaito burst out from his office. "And…Len-kun?"

"It's—it's not what it looks like," Rin sighed.

"Good job!~" Kaito said, winking. "But I recommend you two go home first. And remember to use protection. Have fun!"

Len's mouth hung wide open. "What kind of counselor are you?"

"My only job is to encourage my students," Kaito said, going back into his office.

"Ugh. I—I'm sorry, Len-kun," Rin said, jumping to her feet. "I feel terrible."

"That guy is twisted," Len sighed, shaking his head. "Besides, we only love each other like family, right? We look out for each other. That's how we'll always be. I'm going to go take care of that mental computer club guy that was bothering you."

"Th—thanks," Rin said.

"I'll see you at work, okay?" Len said, waving. Rin watched him walk away.

_'That's how we'll always be,' he said. Like family… _Rin thought, crestfallen. _He'll never think of me in that way. Maybe I should just give up…it's the only choice that's left. _

Rin stood silently in the empty hallway, tears streaming down her face.

~CHAPTER 9 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	11. Chapter 10

SPICE! Chapter 10

It was only several days before school would be let out for summer break. Rin always looked forward to the summer—she could work a few more hours, which meant extra money, and the weather was warmer, which meant she could spend more time outdoors and go to the beach. _The beach… _Rin thought as she daydreamed during class. _I wonder if we'll be able to afford it this year? Will he want to go? _

Rin and Len's boss knew that they worked hard and they lived alone, so he always paid them extra during the summer and gave them more days off. He always gave them a three-day period after school got out so they could make a trip to wherever they wanted to go, and they were off on the weekends and during holidays and festivals. Rin and Len always used that three-day period to go to the beach—their families used to make an annual trip to the beach when Rin and Len were little. Now, they had no time for play, and usually couldn't afford it, so they stayed home. It had been years since they had gone to the beach.

_I'm sure Len-kun would like it, _Rin thought. _He seems really stressed lately. He needs a break, and I'd prefer that he'd spend that break with me._

"Kagamine-san! A note's arrived for you," Hanazuki-Sensei said. "Kagamine-san! Are you paying attention?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Rin gasped, snapping back to reality.

"It says you need to go there immediately," Hanazuki-Sensei said as she handed the note over to Rin. "Class is almost over, so you might as well take your things with you."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Sensei," Rin said, gathering up her things and dashing out of the room.

Rin stopped for a moment and opened up the note, immediately blushing. _Oh! It's from Kaito-Sensei! He says he has a surprise for me? _Rin thought. _Whatever could that be? Why is my heart suddenly beating so fast? _

Rin had been visiting Kaito quite often lately. She still struggled to get Len to notice her, and talking to Kaito always made her feel better. He never judged, he just listened, and he always had great advice to offer, and that's what Rin liked about him. Although going to his office every day after school and sometimes during lunch had become routine, she had been feeling something different whenever she saw him—a special feeling, one of nervousness, anxiety, happiness, and excitement mixed together…almost the same feeling she felt when she was around Len. As she touched the doorknob to Kaito's office, a certain shock ran through her, almost like electricity.

_Oh no… _Rin thought. _Oh no, no, no. I can't be. I just can't be. I love LEN-KUN. He is the ONLY ONE that MATTERS to me. Kaito-Sensei is a counselor who LISTENS. Maybe even a friend. But no more than that! Besides, I'm sure that was only static, not something else…_

"Ah, Rin, you're here. How are you doing today?" Kaito asked. "You look a little flustered. Are things going okay?"

"Y—yes, of course," Rin said, taking a seat. "I just saw…your note here, and…well, it said there was a surprise…"

"I don't give surprises to those who tell lies," Kaito said. "Please tell me the truth. Are things going well with Len-kun?"

"Well, I guess…he's been really distant lately. He seems really stressed. I haven't really talked to him," Rin said. "He's starting to hang out with Meiko-san again. But I don't really talk to her often either."

"You should talk to him, Rin," Kaito said. "If he won't come to you, you should go to him. Or…do you feel like you are losing your feelings for him? Is there…someone else?"

"I…" Rin struggled to think of what to say next. She found herself lost in Kaito's deep-blue sparkling eyes, his dazzling blue hair, and his soft-featured face.

"Rin, are you okay?" Kaito asked.

"I can't say for sure right now," Rin said. "I need more time to sort my feelings out, if you know what I mean. Actually, I think…it's not something I can talk to you about."

"Rin, why—" Kaito's face lit up, as if he had an idea. Just then, the bell rang. "School is over. You should get going. I have another meeting with someone else in a few minutes. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to come back tomorrow," Kaito said. "I need to go get that other person I'm meeting with right now, so bye!"

"K—Kaito-Sensei! Is there something wrong?" Rin asked as Kaito ran out the door.

_ He sure is an interesting person, _Rin thought, a small giggle escaping from her lips. _There's no way I could actually love him—right?_

"Mmph—mmph—" _All I was doing was waiting for Sakine-san outside of the classroom, and now I've been bound and gagged, _Len thought. _What the hell is going on here?_

"I'm going to take off your blindfold now, so stay still and stop making so much noise," a man's voice said. "I'll un-gag you if you promise to keep quiet and only speak when I ask you to. If you cooperate with me, I'll release you."

The voice sounded familiar, but Len couldn't place who it was. _I hope it's not the yakuza or something, _Len thought. _I have no money and I'm not related to anyone of high status! Why would they want me?_

Slowly, the blindfold slipped from Len's face and the tape was pulled from his mouth. Len's eyes opened wide in fear. It was someone much worse than the yakuza…it was…Kaito?

"What the hell?" Len exclaimed. "Sh—Shion-Sensei?" He tried to get up but he was still tied to the chair.

"I'm really sorry I had to do this," Kaito said. "I had no choice."

"I—I have no money. And I'm not related to anyone who is rich, so I can't give you anything," Len said. A terrible thought crossed his mind, and he felt as if his heart had stopped. "D—does this have something to do with Rin-chan? If you hurt her, I'll—"

"It does have to do with Rin," Kaito said, smiling. "But no, I haven't hurt her. She's probably on her way home now. I actually just finished talking with her before I got you. I knew you'd say no if I asked to talk with you, so I had no choice but to drag you here."

"A—Are you crazy?" Len shouted, staring at Kaito in disbelief. "Isn't this illegal? I—I knew you were kind of weird, but this is just unbelievable. I'll report you to the head principal and get you fired! Then you won't bother Rin-chan anymore!"

"She came here on her own accord," Kaito said. "Now, if you promise not to run away, or report me, I'll untie you from that chair. Then I really need to talk to you. It's urgent."

"Fine," Len sighed. He and Meiko were going to walk to the café and talk. Lately they'd started hanging out more. This time Len was hoping for a good relationship and he wouldn't make the same mistakes, but now she was probably waiting for him, and she'd be pissed.

_ I'll just say, 'I'm sorry, Sakine-san, but I'm kind of being held hostage by the crazy school counselor right now, so let's decide on another day.' Of course she'd believe THAT, _Len thought.

"Okay, now you're free. Would you care for any refreshments?" Kaito asked.

"No thanks. I hope this is quick, because I really need to meet someone right now," Len said.

"It depends. Do you mind if I ask who you're meeting?" Kaito asked.

"I—I'm meeting Sakine Meiko-san. She's a girl in my class. We were just going to go to the café and talk a bit—maybe a little studying," Len said.

"Ah—that's—okay," Kaito said, looking a little surprised. _I wonder why, _Len thought.

"Anyways, I have a problem and you're the only one that can help me," Kaito said.

1 "Sh—Shion-Sensei…what is it?" Len asked, trying not to laugh. _Maybe he needs help finding a girlfriend, _Len thought. _But he's not ugly. I find it hilarious that he'd ask me about that kind of thing._

"You know Rin? Well…I need you to take her out on a date," Kaito said.

"A—a date?" Len gasped, blushing a bit. "I—I could never—I mean—she's more like a sister to me than anything else—and if it didn't work, I'd lose the only one that I have!"

"If you do this, it will help Rin out a lot. And maybe even you," Kaito said. "You two have similar problems, I'm sure."

"I—I really can't picture Rin-chan having the problem of having too many suitors. Not that she's ugly, she's actually really cute, but she's never been good with talking to guys," Len said. "My attraction to her—I'm really not sure about it. I'm sorry, I really…I can't picture us together…"

"This is exactly why," Kaito said. "If you take her out on a date, you'll know for sure."

"You mean—Rin-chan—Rin-chan is in _LOVE _with me?" Len gasped. "I—I never knew…that's why she's been visiting you a lot?"

"My god, you're _DENSE!_" Kaito shouted, shaking his head. "You've been hurting her all this time. I'm not really sure she's in love with you. She definitely likes you, but whenever I talk to her, she seems …as if she has something on her mind. Something she can't tell me. If you go on a date with her, I'm sure she'll be able to make a decision."

"I—I don't mind taking her out, but I don't have any money," Len said.

"I've got that all covered," Kaito said, handing Len two slips of paper and some bills. "Here are two tickets to the Space World Amusement Park and also enough money to cover the cost of food, games, gifts, and whatever else. All you have to do make sure that she has a good time. I know you two are always working, so you deserve a break."

"Th—thank you," Len said, overwhelmed. "I—I'll try my best. But—actually, I really can't. This doesn't feel right to me." He handed the slips of paper back to Kaito.

"Why not?" Kaito asked.

"I—I'm lying to Rin-chan. I'm asking her out on a date, but really, there are no feelings in it. Well, maybe there are some feelings, but she'll be more into it than me. I'll only end up hurting her more," Len said.

"Haven't you been lying to her all this time?" Kaito asked. "Hurting her? She cries every night about it, Len. _EVERY _night. She told me all about it. She spilled her _HEART _out to me, Len, so I know these things. Even if there are only a few feelings in it for you, it will make her happy. The day you spend devoted to her and only her will probably be the happiest day in her life."

"I—then—then why aren't _you _her boyfriend?" Len shouted. "She tells you everything! I—I've known her all my life, and I really do love her, but—why doesn't she tell _me _these things? Why?"

Kaito was speechless. He didn't expect this type of response. "Len…"

"She quit being in love with me to be in love with _you_! I—I can just tell! The way she looks at you, the way she talks, the way she smiles—she really enjoys being around you! She's happy! She visits you every day before and after school and sometimes even spends lunch with you! When she's around me, she feels like sh*t! I—I can't compete with that!" Len was screaming now. Tears started to run down his face. "I know I'm a horrible, selfish person. I don't know what's wrong with me. But I know things have changed between Rin-chan and I since the beginning of this year. I've damaged our bond, and I don't know if I can fix it. Sh—Shion-Sensei…call me what I am. Just say it. I need to hear."

"You are a jerk. A man-whore. A player. A pervert. Selfish. You play with girls' feelings, and when the one with genuine feelings was right in front of you, all you did was make her die inside. You're disgusting. You don't deserve anything," Kaito snapped.

"Th—that's actually kind of…mean," Len whimpered.

"I'm not taking any of it back either," Kaito said.

"I deserved that," Len said. "If anything, I think…Rin-chan should say all of those things to me."

"You spilled a lot of your feelings out to me today," Kaito said. "But that's what counselors are for. I'm really proud of you. Now, will you take these tickets and show Rin a good time tomorrow?"

"I promise," Len said. "I'll do the best I can."

"Just send me texts on how things are going. My phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. I recommend you ask her as soon as possible," Kaito said. "There is no time to waste."

"Thank you, Shion-Sensei," Len said. "I'll let you know how things go. You're not all that bad."

"No, I should be thanking you," Kaito said. "Have a good day."

Len ran out the door as fast as he could. He needed to let Meiko know that he wanted to cancel today, and he'd be busy tomorrow.  
"Kaito-kun, is it okay if I come out now?" A girl's voice sounded from the closet by Kaito's desk.

"Of course," Kaito said. "Meiko-chan."

"Would you please go out with me tomorrow?"

Rin couldn't believe what she was hearing. Len and her had just finished their shifts at the café and were now in front of their apartments.

"Go out…tomorrow…with you?" Rin asked. Her heart was beating as fast as the words had come out of Len's mouth, and she could feel herself getting redder and redder. "Is that what you said?"

"What else would I say?" Len said, smiling. "I—I have two tickets to the Space World Amusement Park for tomorrow. I really want you to come with me. You seemed really stressed, and I thought you deserved a break."

"H—how did you get them?" Rin asked. "We could never afford that—please don't tell me you—"

"I'd never," Len said. "I won these fair-and-square in a lottery. I won a little cash too. Besides, it would be a great way to kick off our summer. Please come with me…I wouldn't want anyone else."

"Len-kun, I—I—" Rin stuttered. This had come out of nowhere. She didn't even think she had _any _chance whatsoever of Len liking her, let alone asking her out on a date. It was as if they were suddenly in an alternate dimension.

"I'd love to, Len-kun," Rin said, smiling.

"That's great. That makes me really happy," Len said. "So…I'll see you tomorrow? We'll probably have to take the bus, but…I'll meet you outside at 8 am."

"That sounds wonderful, Len-kun," Rin said, stepping into her apartment. "I—I'll see you…"

Rin shut the door and threw herself onto her bed. "YES! YES! YES!" she shouted. "Finally…all that I've dreamed of…I'm so happy! Wait—now I have to decide on what to wear!"

Rin felt like she was floating around her apartment as she dug around in her closet, searching for the perfect outfit to wear. Len's words constantly echoed in her head, sounding better and better each time. _'Would you please go out with me tomorrow? Please come with me…I wouldn't want anyone else.'_

_ I really hope I'm not dreaming, _Rin thought. She pinched herself as hard as she could just to be sure.

"Ow! Nope, I guess it's not a dream," she laughed.

_I'm glad Len-kun has settled down some, _Rin thought. _He doesn't hang around those unsavory girls anymore. He's finally come to his senses, and now he's the true Len-kun I know. I'm so happy!_

The walls between Len and Rin's apartments were very thin, and Rin could usually hear whatever Len was doing next door. For the past few months she'd often heard girls over—Meiko, the Hatsune girl who worked at Resort Island (see Chapters 6-7), and a few others. It always made Rin furious that those girls used Len in such horrible ways, and Len let them do it. _Maybe he liked it? Maybe he was just playing around with all those girls, _Rin thought, her heart sinking. _That can't be what he's trying to do to me. Or is it? No, no, no, Len-kun would never do that kind of thing to me. He'd never lie. There were true feelings behind what he told me. I just know it! _

Rin could hear Len talking on the phone. "Yes, I just asked her out, and she said yes," Len said. "I was worried, but things worked out fine. And hopefully, tomorrow will be even better…"

Rin felt like she was about to burst with happiness. _I bet he's talking to Gakupo-kun, _Rin thought. _He was worried that I'd say no? Then he definitely has true feelings for me. I shouldn't worry. Now, to get ready for tomorrow…_

Little did Rin know that Len was talking to the one person she trusted the most.

~CHAPTER 10—END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	12. Chapter 11

SPICE! Chapter 11

Len awoke with a start to pitch-black and freezing temperatures. His body felt slimy and numb. _Where am I? _he thought. _I—I can't move!_

"That sounds like a good idea, Kaito-Sensei," a familiar girl's voice rang out.

"Rin-chan!" Len shouted. "Where are you? Rin-chan!"

Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright light. As his eyes came back into focus, he could recognize the outlines of Rin and Kaito.

"I've really been wishing for a sundae," Kaito said, reaching towards Len.

_Holy shit, _Len thought. _They're—they're giants!_

"Hey! You! Put me down!" Len shouted.

"Did you hear something?" Rin asked. "It sounded like...like Len-kun."

"Bananas don't talk," Kaito laughed. "I'm sure you're just imagining things."

_Wait—I'm—I'm a BANANA? _Len thought, shocked. _That's why they're giant and they can't hear me! What the hell is going on?_

"I think about him every day. I just wonder…why did he lie so much to me?" Rin asked, a hint of anger in her voice. "I mean, setting up a fake-date just to make me happy? Does he think I'm stupid?"

"It was all his idea!" Len shouted. "I really didn't want to! I knew it was wrong! Please, forgive me, Rin-chan!" His protests went unheard.

Kaito peeled Len, put him in a bowl of ice cream, and poured chocolate syrup on top of him.

"Wait! Stop that!" Len cried. Kaito and Rin started to feed each other the ice cream. Len felt sick to his stomach at the sight, but since he was apparently a banana, he didn't have one.

"Kaito-Sensei, when I graduate, I want to get married and have ten babies and move to the Caribbean and live happily forever and ever with you!" Rin giggled, and kissed Kaito on the LIPS.

Kaito kissed her back. "We'll make that work," he said, smiling.

There was only one piece of the Len-banana left—what Len considered his head.

"I love you so much, Kaito-Sensei," Rin said, unbuttoning her shirt. "You can have the last piece. And after that…"

Kaito kissed Rin again and scooped Len up. "Stop! No! No! This can't be happening!" Len screamed. He could hear Rin calling out his name, then everything went black.

"Len-kun! Len-kun!" Len awoke with a start. "We're here!"

"Huh? R—Rin-chan?" Len gasped, startled. _It was all…just a dream, _he thought.

"We're at Space World, silly! You fell asleep. It's time to get off the bus," Rin giggled. "You're so funny, Len-kun!"

"Y—you're not…going out with Sh—Shion-Sensei?" Len asked. "You're not going to graduate and get married and have ten babies and move to the Caribbean and live happily forever and ever with him?"

"What on _earth_ are you talking about?" Rin asked. She gave Len a strange look, then she smiled. "I know you may be feeling a bit jealous, but I assure you that there's nothing, absolutely NOTHING, between Kaito-Sensei and I. There's no need to worry. You're my number one."

_'You're my number one,' _Len thought as he and Rin got off the bus. _I don't want to let Rin-chan down. It's too late to go back. I must go through with this, even if the outcome…I'll make sure she has the best time, no matter what happens._

"Wow, look!" Rin gasped, pointing at the line. "It's so…long!"

Len resisted the urge to say _'That's what she said!*' _"I'm sure it won't take too long," he said, trying to be optimistic. "We'll be here all day, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to have fun."

Len decided to take the extra time and text Kaito. '_We're here at the amusement park. The line is long, but so far so good.'_

"Who are you texting?" Rin asked, trying to look over Len's shoulder. Len immediately shut his phone and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Oh, j—just a friend," Len said, waving his hand in the air. "N—nothing important, you know…"

"Is it Gakupo-kun?" Rin asked.

"Y—yeah," Len lied. _Speaking of which, I haven't heard from that idiot in awhile, _he thought. The last text Len had gotten from Gakupo was _'I'm on a trip with my girlfriend. Don't know when we'll be back. Maybe you can go on a trip with Rin-chan? :3 Have a great summer! _ _Popo-chan.'_

"Tickets please," an amusement park attendant said.

"Oh! Um, yes," Len said, handing the tickets to the attendant.

"Oh! You guys have the premium ticket package! You can move right through," the attendant said. "Have fun, you two!"

"Thank you," Len said. As the attendant walked away, he could hear her say, "I remember when I was that age…"

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Rin said, ecstatic. "You were lucky you won such great tickets in that lottery, Len-kun! I'm really happy you chose to take me with you!"

"I wouldn't take anyone else," Len said. Rin squeezed his arm.

_Maybe I should…wrap my arm around her? _Len thought. _That's what couples do, don't they?_

Len draped his arm around Rin and she smiled. With his other free hand, he opened the map.

"What ride should we go on first? The Astro-Cups? Space Adventure? Ferris Wheel?" Len asked.

"Those are all baby rides," Rin said. "Let's go on something much more exciting. The Ferris Wheel we can save for last, if you know what I mean." She giggled.

"You're right. You choose the rides," Len said. "I'm not picky about rides, so I'm willing to try anything. My whole day is dedicated to you and only you, Rin-chan." He gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Oh—okay," Rin said, blushing. "Well, let's go on…"

An hour later, Len regretted letting Rin take control of things. He was now, for the third time, hurtling towards the ground at roughly 100 miles per hour after being thrown up 1,000 feet.

"! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed. The ride finally came to a stop and he tried to catch his breath. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.

"Goodness, Len-kun," Rin laughed, shaking her head. "That ride only lasts maybe four seconds! You're such a chicken!"

"I—I swear we were going to die that time," Len gasped. "That ride is not four seconds, it lasts FOREVER. I was going to pee my pants!"

"That blondie is a wimp," a little girl said, smirking, as she passed by.

Len sighed. "It's okay," Rin said, giving him a tight hug. "You may be a wimp, but you're my wimp and I lo—lov…" She trailed off. "It's too embarrassing to say. How about we have lunch, then we play some carnival games. After that we can go on the Space Mountain coaster a few more times, then the Gravity Drop a few more times, then the Space House…"

"O—okay," Len said.

"Come on!" Rin grabbed his hand and dragged him to the Space Café. Len let her order whatever she wanted, and they found a place to sit.

"I got 'Space Spaghetti' and a root beer float," Rin said.

"There's only one," Len said. "Don't worry, I have enough money to cover—"

"It's much more romantic to share, right?" Rin said. "Now, open your mouth."

Len blushed. "I—I'm not really hungry…" he said. _I'm really not good with this kind of thing…I'm so embarrassed, _he thought. His stomach thought differently. Rin burst out laughing.

"You need to eat. You're a boy. You need to be strong," Rin said. "Now, open up."

"A—ah," Len said, swallowing the spaghetti.

"That's better," Rin said. "Now, my turn."

_I guess I should go along with it—we're supposed to be a couple now, _Len thought. He felt it was a 'more than friends, but not quite lovers' type thing, and he enjoyed the feeling. _But I can't imagine Rin-chan and I—or can I? _Len thought. _But what if I end up messing things up again and hurt Rin-chan? She's the only one I have. A relationship more than what we have now could be dangerous._

After they finished their meal, they went on a few more rides (luckily Len did not end up sick) and ended up in the 'Space House.' They had been wandering in there for an hour and Len was starting to feel worn out, and it was starting to get dark outside.

"I think we're lost," Rin said. "We've passed by those asteroids several times, and I haven't seen anyone. Maybe this area is supposed to be closed off?"

"I guess so," Len said. "Are you tired yet? Do you want to go home?" _Please say yes, _he thought.

"Nah, let's just take a rest…in here," Rin said, pointing to a sign that said 'Zero-Gravity Room.' "When it's time to close and we still haven't found our way out, the workers will find us and help us."

Rin pushed Len into the room. He landed on the floor. It wasn't quite zero-gravity, just a dark room with a padded bouncy air-mattress-like floor and glow-in-the-dark space-themed decor.

Rin stared at Len for awhile, as if she was thinking about something, then said, "I wonder what it would be like to do it in space."

"What?" Len asked.

"I said, I wonder what it would be like to do it in space," Rin said.

"Why do you ask?" Len asked.

Rin shut the door. "Do you want to find out?" She threw herself on top of Len and started unbuckling his belt and zipping down his pants.

"Rin-chan, stop it," Len said, trying to push her off. "Why here, of all places—"

"It won't matter," Rin said, smiling. "The Ferris Wheel is a bit juvenile, don't you think? This will be one of our memories. Our day at Space World."

"But—"

"I know I'm not your first. But I don't care. At least you'll be mine," Rin said, unbuttoning her shirt.

_I thought she was flat-chested, but there is something there. I wonder if she's any good, _Len thought, smiling. _Wait. What kind of person am I? I'm supposed to be protecting Rin-chan, yet all I'm thinking about is her breasts and doing her. I can't do this!_

"Rin-chan, stop it!" Len shouted. He pushed Rin off, and she fell back on the floor, narrowly missing the wall.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to shove you," Len said, his voice cracking. "But—but I…I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry!" He got up and ran, leaving Rin behind.

"Len-kun! Wait!" Rin called. Len ignored her and kept running. _It's for her own good, _he thought. _I—I really do love her. But I also don't want to hurt her!_

Len's eyes stung with tears. He hated that. He always cried, whether he was happy, sad, angry, nervous, in pain—he was a crybaby. He'd been that way since he was little. Len dug in his pockets for his phone. He needed to call Kaito. But his phone wasn't there. _Shit, _Len thought, digging through his pockets frantically. _Where could I have lost it? Wait—back in the Moon Room? That means Rin-chan might see—it's all over!_

Len saw light and finally managed to find the exit. "The Space World Amusement Park is closing in thirty minutes," the intercom blared. "At this time, we ask our patrons to prepare to leave the premises. The lost-and-found is open after hours from 10:00pm-11:00pm. The park opens tomorrow at 9:00am and will close at 10:00pm. Thank you all for visiting, and have a great evening!"

_Maybe I should wait for Rin-chan to make sure she gets out okay, _Len thought. _I can't just leave her, even if I really embarrassed myself back there!_

"Len-kun!" Rin yelled frantically. "Len-kun, are you there? There you are!" She ran over to Len and hugged him.

"I'm really sorry. I don't know what got into me. Forgive me," Rin said, starting to cry.

"It's—it's nothing," Len lied. He wasn't angry at Rin, but he was surprised. He had never seen that side of Rin before—from soft-spoken, law-abiding, shy girl Rin? He knew she had a hard time expressing her feelings, and sometimes she just bottled everything up till she let loose, which easily made things awkward—but he wasn't expecting her to push it even farther.

"You left your phone back there," Rin said. "I got it for you—ah, one new text message? It's from…id10t? Who is that?"

"J—Just a friend of mine. It's a—a joke, you see. Ha ha ha," Len said, trying to force a laugh.

"It says, _'You're just going to let her off easy at the end of the day, then. I suppose that's your choice, but it seems a bit harsh. She is a fragile girl. From…_it's from…Kaito-Sensei?" Rin gasped. She looked at Len in shock.

"Len-kun, you're not—oh my god. You don't mean—" Rin looked crestfallen.

"I—I don't! That was earlier. Right now, I really do love y—"

"You were just playing games with me," Rin said softly. "Like all the other girls. I thought you had changed, that things would be different for me, but I just fell for the same trap. Why didn't I know?"

"Rin-chan, I really wasn't. I suppose I should explain, but—" Len's heart was pounding so hard he felt like it would explode. He felt so scared, he started to cry.

"Don't call me Rin-chan!" Rin snapped. "I—I can't believe you! This was all a set-up. And Kaito-Sensei was in on it as well!"

"I guess I can't say you're wrong," Len said. "B—but really, I've been wanting to take you somewhere nice for a long time. But I couldn't afford it! Shion-Sensei was the one who made this trip possible. At—at the beginning of the day, I admit, there were few feelings there. But I've gotten to see even more sides of you than I have before, and as the day went on—I think…I love you."

"You _think _you love me," Rin said, disgusted. "You THINK you love me. Well, maybe once you've organized your thoughts, then I'll listen to you. Thanks for today, but I'm leaving now." She spun around and ran away.

"Rin-chan…don't leave me," Len whimpered. "I—I can't be…alone…"

_At least she said thanks, _Len thought. _Why do I always mess things up? I didn't mean to put things that way. I DO love her. It's just that…I think she deserves better than me. All I'm capable of doing is breaking hearts._

Len stood there silently, tears streaming down his face, until the rides were shut down, the sky was dark, the lost-and-found closed, and security escorted him out. All he could do was cry, on the bus and walking home. He didn't care if people saw him. Not only had he broken Rin's heart, but he had broken his own as well.

Len knew that it was possible he had just destroyed something irreplaceable.

~CHAPTER 11 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	13. Chapter 12

SPICE! Chapter 12

It had only been a day, but it felt like it had been a week since Len had gotten out of bed. He wish he were magic. _Poof! _Everything would be back to normal. _Poof! _All the bad things he had done in the past would have never happened. _Poof! _Shion-Sensei, Miku, and Meiko would be gone. _Poof! _He and Rin would live in a better place, going to a different school. _Poof! _Their parents would still be alive. But that wasn't possible. What's done is done. There was no going back.

_'You were just playing games with me. Like all the other girls. I thought you had changed, that things would be different for me, but I just fell for the same trap. Why didn't I know?' _Rin's words repeated in Len's head like a broken record. He remembered her expression—she didn't look angry, she looked crushed. As if all hope in the world had been lost. He had taken her heart and completely obliterated it.

_Why…Rin-chan…why didn't I realize sooner… _Len thought, digging through his junk drawer. He pulled out a fat file—a file full of things Rin had given him, from notes to birthday cards to valentines to even an orange leaf she had found and given to him many falls ago. Rin had been trying to get his attention since elementary school, Len had just ignored her.

Len's face felt sticky and gross from crying, his hair was a mess, and he hadn't changed out of his clothes he wore yesterday to the amusement park. He also thought he might have a cold coming on. "I guess I should go and clean up," he said to himself.

Len stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. "I look like a piece of shit," he sighed.

_"You ARE a piece of shit. After what you did to Rin-chan? Deplorable," _his reflection said.

"You know what? Just shut up," Len snapped.

_ "Looks like someone is on their man-period," _his reflection said.

Len shook his head. He was obviously losing it if his own reflection even thought what he had done was wrong.

Len stood under the stream of warm water coming out of the shower for what seemed like hours. The walls were especially thin between his bathroom and the next apartment over, so he wanted to see if he could hear what Rin-chan was doing. Throughout the day he had heard clattering, as if she was moving things, and right now it sounded like she was on the phone. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but she sounded happy.

Len took a long shower, and didn't get out until the hot water started to turn cold. Just as he was getting out of the shower, he heard a knock on the door. At first he thought it was the apartment landlord coming to tell him to stop using up all of the hot water, but then he heard a familiar "_Len-kun."_

Len froze. He wasn't ready to face Rin-chan yet. He didn't want to answer the door, but he knew he'd be seeing her at school tomorrow. It was either do it now and get it over with or pretend to be asleep and not answer the door. Len chose the latter.

The knocking became more persistent. "Len-kun, I know you're home. Please answer. I need to talk to you. It's urgent!" Rin cried.

Len remained silent. Rin started to throw herself at the door. "I'm breaking this door down if you're not going to open up. I'm not mad at you, but I really need to tell you this!"

"Rin-chan, I—I'm sorry!" Len burst out. "I—I'm just not worthy of being in your presence!" Len ran over and opened the door before Rin could bust in.

"Len-kun, it's okay—" Rin stopped and looked Len up and down. "You're still in your boxers," she said, blushing slightly, then started to laugh.

"I'm sorry," Len said, bowing his head. He could feel himself turn red. "I'm such a fool. Come in."

Len's apartment didn't have a couch so they sat on the bed.

"I—" Len started.

"I forgive you, Len-kun," Rin interrupted. "For everything. I mean it. I guess I syou hould apologize, too. All those times, I don't know what got into me. I guess—I guess I was just jealous of the other girls and that you—that you were happy. I'm just selfish…"

"I should be the one saying sorry," Len sighed. "I was just stupid. I've been ignoring you all this time, but deep down, I think I knew how you felt, and how I felt, but I kept shutting that out. I was just worried that, if we were together and something happened, it would ruin everything. But I waited too long and look what I've done now!"

Rin was fixated on something across the room.

"Hey, Rin-chan—is it okay for me to call you that? Rin-san—"

"That leaf," Rin breathed. "And those cards and valentines and pictures—you kept them." She started to smile.

"I—I could never get rid of them," Len said.

"You kept them," Rin repeated. "I—I never knew. I thought you'd just thrown them away. I—I'm so happy!" She started to laugh.

Len was shocked. He thought Rin came to strangle him. He thought Rin came to tell him that she wasn't going to help him pay for rent anymore. He thought Rin had fallen in love with Shion-Sensei and came to tell him that she was going away forever. But she was here, and she was _laughing. _Len started to laugh too. All of this—ever since they had started school at Benibara Academy—it was all ridiculous. Sad. Hilarious. Because weren't laughter and crying the same thing?

Rin and Len sat there and laughed like maniacs for an hour straight.

"This isn't actually why I came," Rin coughed, trying to stop laughing. "I have some incredibly important news."

"What?" Len giggled.

"I'm moving out of here. I'm transferring out of Benibara Academy. I'm going to leave all of this behind," Rin said, her face suddenly serious.

"What?" Len gasped, shocked.

"I'm moving," Rin said. "I'm not joking."

"No, you aren't," Len breathed.

"Yes, I am," Rin said.

"You would never do something like that."

"I'm serious this time."

"You wouldn't leave so late in the term."

"I don't care."

"You wouldn't be able to afford it. And you'd be too scared."

"And how would you know that?"

"Are—are you really serious?" Len asked, looking into Rin's eyes. He could tell she was serious, but he didn't want to believe it.

"Len-kun, I am as serious as death," Rin said, her face ashen. "I wouldn't lie to you."

"When? Where? Why?" Len asked, his voice cracking.

"I found a nicer apartment a couple towns over. It's about three hours by train from here. I've been saving money for something like this. I'm moving as soon as school gets out. I can apply to the local high school over the summer, and find a new job as well," Rin said. "It's just—I need to get away from all of this. This place is poisonous. It's not good for me. And it's not good for _you_, either."

"Rin-chan, you—you can't leave," Len whimpered. "I—I won't know what to do without you." He had hoped she would suddenly break out into a grin and say, "Just kidding!" or that all of this was one torturous nightmare. This would be the first time they would ever be apart.

"Don't cry, now. I want to you to forget about me," Rin said. "It just wasn't meant to be. I should have realized that a long time ago."

Len was speechless. He was expecting her to say "And I want you to come with me." But she didn't even hint at that.

"I'm going to talk to Kaito-Sensei tomorrow. I think then we can sort everything out," Rin said. "But for now…" Rin trailed off.

"Rin-chan. Please…let me go with you," Len begged. "Please. I—I can't live without you!"

"That's the Len-kun I know," Rin smiled. "Now I know how you truly feel about me. She leaned in closer.

Len let out a sigh of relief. Rin got closer. Just as their lips were about to touch, he felt the press of cold metal against his neck.

"Rin-chan, what—"

"I'm doing this because I love you," Rin whispered.

"Why—"

Len screamed, and everything went black.

Rin shook Len violently. "Wake up, Len-kun! Wake up!" she shouted. "It's just a dream! Wake up!"

"Huh? Is…that…Rin-chan?" Len asked, dazed.

"You were having a nightmare," Rin said. This was the first time Len had had such a vivid nightmare in a long time. The last time he screamed so loud in his sleep was when his and her parents died.

_It's all my fault, _Rin thought. _Yesterday traumatized him._

"Please don't kill me, Rin-chan! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Len gasped, trying to crawl away from Rin.

"Why would I?" Rin asked .

"I just thought—oh. It was…a dream…" Len sighed. "What time is it?"

"It's only noon," Rin said. "I heard the shower running for a long time and got worried. I found you passed out in there. What happened?"

"I—I don't remember," Len said, scratching his head. He bumped a certain point on his forehead and winced. "I guess I fainted, and I didn't realize…it was weird, my dream continued on with my day, and you came over, and we talked, then you tried to kill me, then you woke me up, and then…you're here..."

"I'm sorry, Len-kun," Rin said. "It's my fault you haven't been taking care of yourself. Have you been eating? Or at least keeping hydrated?"

Len's answer was his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten since they had had lunch at the amusement park. After that, he had been so stressed out, he had lost his appetite.

"I'm so sorry," Rin said. "Let me make you something to eat—"

"It's—it's fine," Len breathed, putting his hand to his forehead. He broke out into a cold sweat, and could feel a massive headache coming.

Rin held her hand against Len's forehead. "You're sick!" she gasped. "You have a fever. You're sick. No, this is all my fault…I'll go to the drugstore and get you some medicine—"

"It's not your fault," Len said. "If anything this is all my fault. I—"

"Shh, you don't have to say a word," Rin said softly, pressing her index finger against Len's lips. "I heard everything in your sleep. You were talking. But I'm sure you really meant it."

"That'll save me some time, then," Len said, laughing. Rin started laughing too. Len wasn't just laughing about his dream, but this whole thing since they had started school at Benibara Academy—it was ridiculous. Sad. Yet it was also hilarious. Rin and Len laughed like maniacs for how long, they didn't know. Weren't laughter and crying the same thing anyways?

"I'm going to get you some medicine," Rin said. "Even with all that's happened, it's no excuse for me to just abandon you. I still care. You're all that I have."

The word "abandon" made Len remember something from his dream. "Rin-chan…have you ever thought of moving away from here?" he asked.

Rin froze in mid-step out the door. "Len-kun…how did you know?" she gasped.

"I guess I just sensed it," Len said, shrugging.

"Don't worry. I'd never leave without you," Rin assured. "But let's not worry about that now. You should lay down and get some rest. I'll be right back. Bye!"

Len smiled. He knew he didn't know everything about Rin, and he still wasn't sure if Rin was a friend, a sister, or something more, but he knew the answers couldn't be far. He was still waiting for the day he could tell Rin those three little words and truly mean it…maybe that day would be tomorrow.

~CHAPTER 12 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	14. Chapter 13

SPICE! Chapter 13

Although he didn't feel quite 100%, Len still went to school anyways. There were only a few days left, and Len had some loose ends to tie up before they were let out for summer break. He needed to talk to Shion-Sensei, and officially break up with all of his…girlfriends. Len remembered the main ones, Meiko and Miku, but he was starting to forget the others—maybe Neru? Gumi? Miki? Teto? The only one he hadn't gone out with was Luka, because she was apparently going out with Gakupo. It was a shame, she had such nice breasts… He had only used those girls whenever he was bored and wanted something a little different. They were easy A's. Only Meiko and Miku were good at quenching his insatiable needs.

_Wait, what am I thinking? _Len thought. _Rin-chan. Only Rin-chan matters now. Forget about the others. You won't miss them. They were all hella annoying, anyways. _

Should he break up with them in person? Or over the phone? He'd probably have to get a new phone number. Usually the girls he broke up with "forgot" and would still keep texting and calling him anyways. _Are you free tonight? WHERE _are_ you_? _WHO are you with?_

He was going to leave his past as a player; the wandering man whore that went about touring other girl's beds every night—or sometimes, they would come to his own. He wanted to live only for Rin now. He'd hurt her enough.

Okay, so most guys would think Len was on crack for leaving all these girls that would do whatever he liked for one not-so-special girl. Rin wasn't very popular, and she was pretty flat-chested for a 15-year-old. She was quiet and kept to herself, and Len wasn't sure how far she'd be willing to go. But he loved her. Rin had been there for him longer than the others, and understood him. She was the sweetest person if you knew her, and she got really good grades. She was actually really cute—girls weren't just their chests and what they had down there, after all. Maybe player Len would just ignore Rin. But the _REAL _Len was here now.

Just as Len was prepared to shoot off a quick "I'm breaking up with you" text to Neru, Gumi, Miki, and Teto, he heard a familiar shrill voice call his name.

"Leennnnnnnnnnnyyyyy!"

Len turned around and froze. It was Meiko.

Meiko tackled and embraced him, smothering his face in her chest.

"Ugh—Meiko-san—can't—breathe—" Len gasped. He could feel himself blush a little—not that he liked Meiko anymore, but having your face in someone's breasts would do that to any typical, horny teenage boy, right?

"You haven't been by in so long! I missed you so much! I was worried about you! Where have you been?" Meiko asked quizzically. "I mean, we made up a long time ago, right? Usually you come by every other day, but for the past couple weeks you have—"

"Meiko, I have something important to say—" Len interjected. "You see, I think we should—"

"Guess what? When I got my last paycheck for my modeling gig with **CHU** **LOVE ****BRAND**, I bought a new house! It's just down the street. The paperwork is already signed and everything. You're moving in!"

"_What?" _Len gasped. "But—"

"Oh, the things at your apartment? You see, I already moved them all out! There wasn't much. The workers started when you left," Meiko said nonchalantly. "They should be done by now. I'm sure you're happy to be free of that hole, huh?"

"Wh—why this all of a sudden?" Len exclaimed. "Is this even _legal_?" He was getting angry now.

"Lenny-Len, why? You don't want to move out?" Meiko asked, cocking her head to the side, confused. She was trying to play stupid. "If we live together, it will be much more convenient for the both of us!"

"Rin is still back there!" Len shouted. "You crazy whore! Why the fuck would you think I'd want to move in with you? I'm going and—argh. Just when things are going right, something _always _has to happen. My life is just fucked, you know that? Just _fucked._"

"Lenny—"

"Don't you 'Lenny' me. I'm—I'm going back. I'm going to call the police," Len sighed, shaking his head. Now was the time to say it. "Sakine-san, I'm breaking up with you."

Meiko gasped, and immediately burst into tears. "Len, are you serious? What about all we've been through? I thought—I thought you loved me!" she sobbed.

"I love someone else," Len said. "And her name is Rin Kagamine. I should have realized that I loved her a long time ago."

Meiko's eyes narrowed. "I knew it," she snapped, glaring at Len. "I knew it! You love that plain-looking, ugly, flat-chested, socially-incapable Kagamine girl!"

"It's better than loving a slutty whore whose chest is all she has going for her," Len smirked. Meiko immediately slapped him, causing tears to fly out of Len's eyes.

"Fuck you. Fuck _you, _Len Kagamine!" she screamed, shoving Len to the ground. "I'll get you back, one way or another! There's no way you'll be able to last long without _my _love." She cackled and stormed off.

"Ow," Len said, rubbing the cheek where Meiko had slapped him. "Was that déjà vu or what?" he laughed, remembering the first time Meiko had broken up with him, on the beach resort trip. (See the end of Chapter 7!)

He peered at his watch. He had actually made an early start—it was only 6:45. He had enough time to go home and see what damage Meiko had done.

_All right, five down, one more to go, _Len thought as he sent the break-up texts to Neru, Gumi, Teto, and Miki.

"_Try to meet me during lunch today? I really need to talk to you," _Len texted to Miku. He was curious how Miku would take it. Would she react like Meiko? Or something different? This would be interesting…

Rin awoke with a start to loud crashing and banging. It sounded as if it was coming from next door.

"Len-kun?" Rin yawned, half-asleep. "What on earth is going on over there?"

Rin walked over to the window and opened the curtains. Down below, she could see two moving trucks, and men loading them with—_Len's _things?

Rin gasped. _Len-kun wouldn't move out without telling me, right? _she thought frantically. _No way! Especially after what he asked me yesterday!_ She immediately grabbed her shoes and ran out the door.

Len's door had been broken down and movers were going in and out, taking his things with them. _He must have left for school early today,_ Rin thought.

One of the workers came out with a box of pictures. They were the old pictures of when Rin and Len were young, one picture of both their families together, and all of the cards and pictures Rin had given Len that he had saved over the years. They couldn't take _those._

"Hey, stop!" Rin shouted. "What are you doing? Someone lives here!"

"Not anymore. We were given orders by his wife to move all this stuff to a new home down the street," the mover said, shrugging.

"_Wife? _Len is fifteen years old! And he's—he's—" Rin wanted to say "boyfriend," but it would be pretty weird if they were boyfriend and girlfriend, yet they lived in separate apartments next door to each other. "He's my brother," Rin finished. "And he told me he has no plans of moving out! And he's most certainly _not _married!" She snatched the box from the mover.

"Hey lady, that's not yours," the mover barked. "Give 'em back. Go back to bed."

Rin realized that she must look ridiculous standing outside in just a t-shirt with her eyes all puffy and her hair askew, but she didn't care. The mover was a relatively small man, so it was easy for Rin to grab him by the collar.

"If you don't move _everything_ you have in the trucks _back in_, and I mean _everything,_ I will call the _police,_" Rin snarled between her teeth.

"F—f—fine," the mover gasped. "Just please—let—me—go—can't breathe—"

Rin smiled. "Thank you," she said icily.

The movers put everything back in Len's house just the way it was within fifteen minutes, and immediately left. They did not want to see the true wrath of Rin.

"Guess I should get ready for school," Rin said to herself. She still couldn't help but wonder—who exactly did they mean when they referred to his_ "wife?"_

It was lunchtime. Len stood next to an old cherry blossom tree, devoid of its pink blooms at this time of year, waiting. _I hope she'll be able to get in fine, _Len thought. _Lunch will be over soon…_

Len had tried to disappear, avoiding coming into contact with Meiko, Rin, or any other girls. Well, Rin had saved his apartment from being ransacked earlier this morning, and he had thanked her for that, but he didn't want to announce that they were an item yet, for her safety. Luckily, Rin understood.

Len glanced at his watch. 12:34pm. Lunch would be over in 16 minutes. He didn't want to admit it, but he was a bit nervous about breaking up with another girl in the same day. He could barely keep the onigiri Rin had made him down.

"Len-kunnn, didja miss me?" That familiar voice. Miku.

Len sighed in relief. "Ah, you're here," he said, looking up at Miku. His mouth fell open in surprise. She was wearing their high school uniform.

"Wh—why are you in that?" Len stammered. He didn't want to admit it, but she looked _good _in it. The uniform was a bit fitted on her, but Len figured it was as to show off her figure. Although she wasn't as voluptuous as Meiko, Miku looked…_sexy_.

"It's all part of my disguise," Miku giggled. "But guess what? I got a job as a tutor here next year, in your class, Len-kun!" She hugged Len tightly.

"Um…that's great. But, Miku-chan—"

"I've missed you so _much_, Len-kun. I'm sure you've been busy with school, so that's why I haven't seen you in a couple weeks. But it's okay now. I'll be able to see you much more often!" Miku gave Len a full-on kiss on the lips.

Automatically, Len's player instincts kicked in. He had grown, so they were finally the same height. He couldn't help but succumb to the thrill of having an older woman love him. He played along, mimicking her lips movements until they were synchronized. _Wait—what would Rin-ch_an _think of this if she saw? _Len thought. He pushed Miku away.

"Miku-chan, I'm sorry, but—it _won't _work," Len said, looking down. "I—I called you here because I—I'm breaking up with you."

"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" Miku gasped. Tears starting running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. But—I love someone else," Len sighed. "I admit to playing you, as well as many other girls. But now I've truly fallen in love with someone, and I'm on the right track. I can't—I can't do this anymore."

"Wh—who?" Miku sobbed. "Who is this—this girl that you've fallen in love with?"

"Her name is Rin Kagamine," Len said, "and I love her."

That only made Miku begin to cry harder. She just stood there sobbing, staring at Len, instead of becoming violent like Meiko.

"I—I have to go," Miku sobbed. "Goodbye…" She turned around and ran off.

"Miku-chan, wait—" Len tried to stop her, but she kept running. Now he felt kind of…bad. He had expected Miku to get angry, like Meiko, or refuse to believe him, but she just _cried_. Even though he was just a younger boy who had allowed her to make him her toy. He couldn't stand to see a girl cry.

_But these past months, you've made Rin-chan cry so much. Over THEM, _a voice in his head said. Len admitted that the voice was right.

Len's phone vibrated. He expected it to be from one of his now-exes, but was a text message from Rin. _"Kaito-Sensei would like to see you after school, at 3:45. Then maybe we can walk home together? See you then! _ _Rin."_

Shion-Sensei…Len had forgotten about him. He hadn't even told him about the incident at the amusement park. Right now, he wasn't quite sure what to think of Shion-Sensei—was he on their side or not? They had both somewhat recovered from the date set-up situation, and Len _thought _Rin was now his girlfriend, but he wasn't quite sure. Personally, Len thought it would be best if they didn't take his advice anymore.

Len sighed. It wasn't quite over yet…

_This is the last time I'll be touching this doorknob, _Rin thought as she gripped the doorknob to Kaito's office. _I still get those nervous feelings every time…_

Rin was not sure what to think of Kaito anymore. Sure, he was really nice—he seemed to favor Rin out of all of his clients—and he gave good advice most of the time. However, Rin was still appalled that he had attempted to set up a date between her and Len without disclosing it to her about it. Although she'd mostly gotten over it, she still wasn't sure who to trust. Even Len. If he could date several girls at the same time and none of them knew about it, he could easily lie to her again and keep sleeping with the other girls as well, even though he'd promised to stay out of trouble now. Boys were just…ugh.

"Good afternoon, Rin-chan," Kaito greeted warmly, smiling.

Rin jumped in surprise. "Ah! Good afternoon, Kaito-Sensei!"

"Please take a seat," Kaito said, his hand motioning for the chair.

_He's acting friendlier than usual today, _Rin thought as she sat down.

"I'm sorry…about what happened the other day," Kaito sighed. Rin looked up and saw that his face had gone from happy to sad. "I truly feel ashamed…it was all my idea. I shouldn't have…it was a cruel plan…"

"It's—it's fine!" Rin gasped, shaking her head from side to side and waving her arms in the air. "Really, I mean, if anything, Len-kun and I are on the same page now!"

"I wasn't quite sure about that, so that's why I asked that you two come at separate times," Kaito said. "But really, I shouldn't have sprung that on Len-kun. He said no at first, but I forced him to. It's my fault."

"Well, it's all behind us now," Rin said. "I've forgiven Len-kun. And I forgive you as well."

"I abandoned my job. I'm a failure as a counselor," Kaito sighed. Rin thought he was being much too hard on himself.

"No, you're not!" Rin shouted. "You're a wonderful counselor! I mean, some days I'd look forward to going to school just so I could see you! You were the only one that understood me, and you didn't judge, you _listened. _You getting transferred here is probably the best thing that could have happened. You're like a best friend to me, Kaito-Sensei."

Kaito smiled. "Well…if you say so…" He handed Rin a business card, then glanced at the clock. "Ah! Len-kun will be here in ten minutes. It would probably be best if you left…I don't think he likes to be seen at my office, and he doesn't want to get caught here by you," Kaito said. "I'm not really sure if he likes me that much…" He laughed.

"Oh, Len is just shy is all," Rin laughed. "Anyways, thank you, Kaito-Sensei. I'll see you…"

"Well school ends in a couple days," Kaito said. "How about we have lunch tomorrow?"

"Okay!" Rin said, nodding. "It's a date."

"Bye now," Kaito said, waving.

After the door had shut behind her, Rin looked at the card Kaito had given her. When she read what was on it, she gasped:

_"If things end up not working with Len-kun…you know where to find me. I still think you're wonderful. 080-XXXX-XXXX._ _Kaito."_

Meanwhile, at a small café across town, six girls gathered for a secret meeting.

"I know you've all been sleeping with Len-kun," Meiko said. "And he dumped all of us today for Rin Kagamine."

The girls nodded. "What is your plan, Meiko-chan?" Miku asked. "Do we seek revenge on Len-kun?"

"No," Meiko said darkly. "Instead, we shall make Rin Kagamine's life _horrible_."

"And we'll get _our _Len back," Miku added. All of the girls murmured in agreement.

"What will we do first?" Teto asked.

"Become her friends, of course," Meiko said matter-of-factly. "Social skills aren't her strong suit, so it should be easy."

"Rin Kagamine…" the group growled.

Just then, the waitress came up. "Oh, hello ladies! How may I help you today?" she asked. It was Rin.

~CHAPTER 13 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	15. Chapter 14

SPICE! Chapter 14

Rin felt like she was going to throw up. All of Len's ex-girlfriends—Miku, Meiko, Neru, Teto, Gumi, and Miki—were there. She thought she had heard them say her name a couple of times in their conversation. But she was the only available waitress, so she had no choice but to serve them. It was her job.

"Hello, ladies! How may I help you today?" Rin asked, using the tone she used with any other customer.

"Rin-chan, is that you?" Meiko asked in mock-surprise. "I didn't know you worked _here_! How are you?" Meiko tried to play it off, but all of the other girls looked surprised.

"Fine, thank you," Rin said icily, then switched back to being a kind waitress. "What would you like to order today? May I recommend our lentil soup? It's the special of the day, and you get a free biscuit and cup of tea with it."

"I would like your French br—" Teto began, then flinched. Meiko had kicked her under the table.

"Rin-chan, we were _just_ talking about you!" Meiko laughed. "I'm throwing a huge sleepover party at my house tomorrow night to kick off summer break, and I'm inviting all of the girls in the class. Won't you come?"

_Pssh, I'm sure you were talking about inviting me to your sleepover. NOT, _Rin thought cynically. _As if I'd want to go anyways. These girls hate my guts!_

"Um, I'm not sure. I might be working…" Rin lied. "How about I get back to you tomorrow?"

"Sure, sure," Meiko said, waving her hand. "It would be a shame if you weren't able to come…we're inviting all of the _boys_ in our class too. _Len-kun_ will be there. By the way, are things going steady with him?"

_This is a slut's sleepover, all right, _Rin thought.

"Oh yes, Len-kun's _wonderful,_" Rin laughed. "He _rarely _talks about you guys, so don't worry." Ooh, that last part came out a bit snippy. "Hmmm…I'll see if I can trade shifts with somebody, and I'll talk to Len-kun about it. Thank you so much for inviting me!" she added hastily.

"No prob, no prob. It wouldn't be a party without _you_!" Meiko giggled. Rin _hated_ it whenever Meiko laughed, and hated it even more that Meiko thought she would fall for her trap. She sounded like a total witch—or rather, what rhymed with it.

"Kagamine-san! Have you gotten their order yet? I know they may be your friends, but please don't dawdle too much. We're busy here!" one of the older waitresses scolded.

"Y—yes, ma'am," Rin stammered. "Anyways, I've got one French bread here. Anything else?"

"Your carrot cake," Gumi said.

"Six iced green teas, please," Meiko ordered before anyone else could say anything, for she was the one paying. "That'll be all."

"Thank you. I'll be back in a few minutes with your orders," Rin said, bowing. "Thank you so much!" She ran off.

_What do I do? _Rin thought. _I really don't want to go to this party. But if Len-kun decides to go—I have to watch out for him. These girls…they know where to get me, don't they? _She sighed.

The closer Len got to Kaito's office, the angrier he felt. He remembered the incident at the amusement park—completely Kaito's idea. All his feelings for Kaito had resurged—Kaito was nothing but a meddler in teenage affairs. Not a counselor at all.

_That bastard! Him and his stupid plan—well, it was my fault for accepting, but he forced me to! _Len thought.

"Good afternoon, Len-ku—" Kaito grunted as Len tackled him and starting yanking his blue hair.

"You dumb bastard—your stupid plan—your fault—argh!" Len was on top of Kaito yanking at his tie when the school secretary came in with a note.

"Ah, Shion-Sensei—" she began, then paused. There was an awkward silence. "This is a bad time, isn't it?" she asked.

"Y—yeah," Kaito gasped. "Just put it on the desk. I'll look at it later." The secretary dropped the note on Kaito's desk as if it were on fire, and immediately ran out. Kaito sighed.

"Please get off of me?" he asked. "If anything, I should be the one on top of _you." _He laughed.

"Dirty old man," Len spat, blushing a bit, as he got off of Kaito. "It's all your fault."

"Please take a seat and we can talk about this," Kaito sighed, dusting himself off. "Would you like some tea? Coffee? Cookies?"

"No," Len said.

"I talked to Rin."

"And?"

"She said she forgave me, that it's not my fault. And she forgave you too. She said that it was all in the past, so there was no need to worry about it."

"Of course she would."

There was a pause.

"How are things going between you two?" Kaito finally asked.

"I really don't know. I broke up with six girls today," Len said nonchalantly.

"Daaaaaaaang. I haven't even gone out with that many girls in my _life._ Already a sex addict and you're only 15?" Kaito laughed.

"Sh—shut up!" Len snapped, blushing. "Besides, that's all in the past now. But really…I don't know what to do next. I want Rin-chan to be happy. I want to _make_ her happy. But I don't want to—too soon, you know?"

"I'm sure she'd appreciate the small stuff. Like picking her up from work, buying her flowers, holding her hand—she's a simple girl. I know you've been going out with the high-maintenance types lately, but she doesn't need that…not _yet_, anyways," Kaito said.

Len wanted to tell Kaito that he couldn't pick her up from work since he didn't have a driver's license yet, and wouldn't be able to afford a car anyways, and was too poor to buy her flowers, but he held his tongue. And about the "simple girl" thing? Rin sometimes proved to have a wild side—such as that time in the amusement park in the Space House.

"Okay," Len agreed, nodding. He wanted to leave. Talking to Kaito gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"My shift starts in twenty minutes. I have to go," he lied. "Thank you for all your help, though. Sorry I…attacked you."

"See you later, Len-kun," Kaito said, smiling. "Thanks for coming in."

Len's phone rang. It was a text message, from—Meiko? Len swore.

"Is there something wrong?" Kaito asked.

"Oh, no. Just a text from my ex-girlfriend," Len sighed.

"You mean _one _of your ex-girlfriends," Kaito chuckled. He secretly thought this whole ordeal was _hilarious._

"Shut up!" Len snapped, slamming the door behind him. The text read: _"You're invited! I am having a huge overnight at my house tomorrow night to kick off summer vacation! Everyone in our class is invited! My house is on X Street and Xth, and there will be red balloons out front. No way you can miss it! Be there or be no one! Love, Meiko."_

_Everyone in class…that means Rin-chan will be there, _Len thought warily. _That means I have no choice but to go, right? I can't trust Meiko…_

He remembered Meiko's all-red room vividly, especially the bed. The soft bed, the softness of her breasts, her skin against his…he had frequented her many times…why was he worrying about trusting _Meiko_? He couldn't even trust himself…or could he?

Rin was thankful when Len had finally arrived at work. Meiko and her crew were taking an awfully long time to finish, always asking for another pot of tea or another bread basket. Rin figured they were just trying to intimidate her. When she heard the bell on the door ring and Len came in, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hi, Len," Rin greeted warmly. "Thank goodness you're here. We're swamped!"

"Ah I see—" Len stopped as soon as he spotted the other girls. Rin had never called him "Len" before—it was always "Len-kun" and occasionally "Len-Len." Was she doing this just to impress them?

"I bought these for you…Rin," Len said quietly, holding out a bouquet of daisies in white, orange, and yellow. Kaito's words echoes in his head_. Picking her up from work, buying her flowers, holding her hand_…really, he had picked the daisies out of a random person's garden, but he wasn't going to tell Rin _that.  
_"Aww, how sweet of you!" Rin cooed, taking them. "Thank you!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I got them because they reminded me of you. Daisies are flowers that are simple and not as appreciated as the others, but once you learn more about them they're beautiful," Len said, blushing. "I love you, Rin." He gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Oh, Kagamine-kun, have you forgotten about _us_?" Meiko asked sarcastically, though her death glare was aimed at Rin.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What would you like to order?" Len replied, indifferent. He knew he was being a smart-ass, and couldn't help but smile.

"Why you son of a—" Meiko climbed onto the table, her arms out, and struggled to make her way towards Len. She wanted to wring his neck. The table wobbled underneath her weight, making the dishes clatter and causing their green teas to spill onto the white table cloth. The other customers, noticing the scene, stopped eating and looked around in alarm. Len tried to put Rin behind him. This could get ugly. Just when Meiko was ready to yank out his hair, they were rescued.

"Meiko-chan, wait—" Miku tried to calm Meiko down, but was interrupted by the café manager.

"I got reports that this customer was being disruptive," the manager said, frowning.

"D—disruptive? _Me?"_ Meiko asked, suddenly turning sweet and innocent. "I _never_ did—wuaah!" She slipped on the tablecloth and landed on her stomach, getting a mixture of green tea, bread crumbs, and cake frosting all over herself.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you and your group to leave, and you will not be allowed to come back," the manager said, ignoring the mess. "I can't have someone threatening my employees or customers. Please leave immediately."

"But I…" Meiko looked like she was about to cry, then pointed a finger at Rin. "She…she stole my boyfriend!"

The manager quickly glanced at Rin and Len, then moved his finger in a circle on the right side of his head and mouthed, _"Crazy."_

"Meiko-chan, let's go," Miku sighed, the other girls murmuring in agreement. She grabbed Meiko and dragged her out the door, Gumi, Miki, Teto, and Neru following.

"Kagamine-san and Kagamine-san, I'm going to have to ask you to tell your friends not to come here anymore," the manager sighed. "I don't like to ban people, but I can't have this happening every day. And I'm sorry to ask you this, but clean up this mess, will ya?"

"Y—yes, sir," Len and Rin said in unison. The manager gave them a thumbs-up and walked away.

"So, Len…by the way, since we're a couple, is it okay for me to call you Len since there's no need for honorifics now?" Rin asked as they both began to clean up the area.

"Of course," Len said, smiling.

"Anyways, did Meiko-chan invite you to…a party?" Rin asked.

"Yes, and I'd rather not go," Len sighed. "But, if we both don't go, it'll look weird. I mean, the whole _class _is invited. And Sakine-san will have a meltdown. I know we aren't her babysitters, but she's _nuts_."

"I think we should go," Rin said. "Knowing Sakine-san, it's probably a trap, but we can use it and shove it into her head once and for all that you're _over_ her."

"Good idea," Len agreed.

"Kagamine-san and Kagamine-san! Enough flirting and get back to work!" one of the waiters snapped.

"Y—yes!" Len exclaimed. "I'll clean this up, Rin. You go take care of that customer over there."

Rin nodded and gave Len a half-hug, then dashed over to the other side of the café, notepad in

hand. For some reason, the words _"over her" _echoed in his head….was he _really_ over all of those girls?

Meiko sighed and sank into her bed. She had taken a bath and her clothes were in the washing machine. She hadn't meant to make such a scene at the café, it just—it wasn't the same without _him. _

_ Like they say, you don't know what you've got till it's gone, _Meiko thought mournfully. _I'm such a bitch. Even if he was with other girls, the way I treated him, all needy and shit, that wasn't necessary. I'm just so used to doing that with other boys and they like it, that I…argh._

She cradled a soft satin body pillow, trying to pretend it was Len. She missed the way he'd draw circles around her high round breasts to her rib cage then to the soft curve of her belly with his mouth, carefully pressing and squeezing against her as if she'd break. He'd kiss her, then hold her as if he was afraid she might slip away in the night.

Except he was always the one that slipped away. Meiko would awake, expecting to find those aqua blue eyes staring back at her, but found only empty sheets still carrying his scent. He was an agent of the night—he would sneak in, complete his mission, then be gone without a trace, all evidence destroyed.

But now, Len had slipped away for the final time—Meiko could tell that he really loved that Kagamine girl. She had sensed it in the beginning, the way he would look at her and talk about her, though he'd continuously reassure Meiko that he loved her, not Rin. Len didn't look it—he was an innocent shota after all, or at least _before _all this—but he was a good liar. Most of the other girls were gullible, sure—but to be able to fool several girls about his love life was no ordinary feat. Even when they all found out that he was just playing, they were wrapped around his small, smooth fingers.

Meiko knew that she was being selfish, but she couldn't help it. She _needed _Len. She missed him so much. She wanted to be a good girl now—whatever the definition of _"good" _was. She yearned for his kiss, his soft voice, his touch. But only Rin would get that now. Meiko had teamed up with Miku and the others to seek revenge and get Len back for all of them, but really she was going to take him for herself. She knew they all didn't like her, anyways. She had no friends.

Meiko was all alone.

~CHAPTER 14 – END~

© 2010 Ikuto-sama


	16. Chapter 15

SPICE! Chapter 15

By Ikuto-sama

"Have a nice summer, Rin-chan!"

"Ah, you too!"

Rin bade all of her classmates and her teacher a quick farewell and took off down the hall.

Where is he? Rin thought, frustrated, as she attempted to stuff all of her belongings into her book bag while running. We need to hurry and go home so we can get ready for the party. Ugh, the party…

Len had vanished from the classroom, along with Meiko, which made a reason for Rin to be concerned.

But Len's not that kind of person, right? Rin thought. At least not anymore, anyways…Ah! Maybe he's at Kaito-Sensei's!

Rin took a turn and ran down the familiar hallway that led to Kaito's office. Just before she reached the door, she bumped into someone.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Rin exclaimed. She looked down and saw Teto kneeling down on the ground, gathering up some papers. "I'm really sorry, Kasane-san. I was in such a hurry, I didn't even notice…"

"It's okay," Teto said in a surprisingly sweet tone. "By the way, Meiko-chan's party has been canceled!"

"Huh? Really?" Rin asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Thank goodness, she thought, a wave of relief washing over her. I really didn't want to go at all. I wouldn't have had anything to wear to it, anyways!

"Yep. I don't really know why, though…Meiko-chan said she had some important business and had to cancel," Teto said, shrugging. "Anyways, um, I guess I'll be on my way now. Have a nice summer!"

"You too!" Rin replied, and continued to make her way to Kaito's office.

It was quiet along the stretch of hallway near his office since there were no classrooms, just a few empty spare rooms used by the clubs. Rin cautiously reached for the brass doorknob but something stopped her. She could hear a voice—a girl's voice to be exact, and it sounded horribly familiar. Rin froze.

"No…it can't be…" Rin breathed, her mouth falling open in shock. "Her…here to see…Kaito-Sensei?"

Rin could barely make out the words that were being said, but it definitely sounded like…_Meiko. _

"Mmm…you know what? I'd rather have you over Len-kun any day," Meiko sighed happily. "You do it even better than he does."

"Can't you stay a little longer, Meiko-chan?" Kaito purred seductively. "We were just getting started."

"Later, come to this address," Meiko said. "And then we can…you know…_talk _some more."

"Of course," Kaito replied. "See you later, Meiko-chan."

"Ta-ta, Kaito-_kun,"_ Meiko said flirtatiously, and she began to head for the door.

_Oh crap, I gotta get out of here! _Rin thought frantically, whisking herself away from the door as if it were on fire. _Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap…_

"I need to find Len now—uwaaah!" Rin gasped as her foot caught on a loose strap from her bag and she ended up sprawling onto the ground. "Ouchies…"

Just as Rin was about to get up, the door opened. Rin gulped. Towering above her was the one person she'd wanted to avoid, Meiko.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Meiko spat, scowling.

"I—I was—I thought Len would be here to see…Kaito-Sensei!" Rin exclaimed, flustered. "I didn't think—I wasn't _eavesdropping _or anything! I just—"

"You didn't hear _anything, _okay?" Meiko snapped. "If I ever catch word that you told _anyone, _and I mean anyone, that I happen to be seeing Kaito-ku—_Sensei, _I will personally kill you. And that includes your little boyfriend—"

"Ah, Rin, there you are!" a familiar voice chimed.

"L—Len," Rin said weakly, turning around to face him.

"Sakine-san, you—" Len started, but Meiko stopped him.

"I'm not interested in your little shota ass anymore," Meiko smirked. "I'm onto larger game now."

"She was with Kaito-Sensei," Rin blurted, then clasped her hand over her mouth realizing what she had said.

_"Sh—Shion-Sensei?"_ Len gasped, then burst out laughing. "Seriously? _Him? _But he's old! And he's the school counselor!"

"You little bitch, I told you not to tell anyone!" Meiko shouted, stomping her foot on the ground. Her face turned a deep shade of crimson. "You know what—fine. I'll leave you two alone to do whatever shit you want if you don't tell anyone about…_this._ Hell, you can even have sex with him, I really don't care anymore! Just keep it a secret!"

"And if we don't?" Len smirked, putting his arm around Rin.

"Then I'll—I'll—oh, fuck it. Here," Meiko sighed, digging out two crumpled slips of paper from her pockets and handing them to Len.

"What are these?" Len and Rin both asked in unison, confused.

"They're two free stay coupons for the Hiyama Resort up in the mountains. If you'll keep quiet, you can have 'em and I'll leave you guys alone," Meiko said. "Besides, I'm sure you'd like to stay somewhere other than that shit-box apartment together, right? And the temperatures will be a bit more bearable than here in the city, so it should be nice. I got them as a gift from a shoot that I did, but I think _he _has already figured out our summer plans." She motioned towards the door of Kaito's office.

"Th—thanks," Rin stammered, surprised at Meiko's sudden—she wasn't sure what to call it, but the word seemed to fit—kindness.

"You two better keep your mouths shut," Meiko said, glaring especially at Rin, then added slyly, "Because if you mess things up between me and Kaito-ku—_Sensei, _then I'll have no choice but to go after your little boyfriend again. Have a nice summer…losers." She rolled her eyes and sauntered off down the hall.

"Um…so…" Len trailed off, putting the two coupons in his pocket. "When should we use these?"

"As soon as possible," Rin said. "I think it's time for a mental health holiday. Let's leave this place for a while. Besides, there's no AC in the apartment, and it's only going to get hotter."

"I guess you have a point there," Len laughed. "Anyways, I guess we should head home and get packed then."

"Shouldn't we go and say goodbye to Kaito-Sensei?" Rin asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Forget him," Len replied.

"Hey, I know you don't like him, but I still think he's a good person," Rin said, shrugging. "I'm going to go say goodbye."

"Fine, I'll wait for you," Len said.

Rin strode toward the door and carefully gripped the cold brass doorknob for what may be her last time, and cautiously entered Kaito's office.

"Ah, Rin-chan, is that you?" Kaito looked up from his laptop and waved. "Come in. Do you need anything?"

"Not really," Rin said softly, striding towards his desk. "I just wanted to say…goodbye."

"Where's Len-kun?" Kaito asked.

"Ah, he's, um, outside. You know how he is," Rin laughed. "I know he might not like you that much, but I said I wanted to say bye since it's summer vacation now and all…"

"Are you two going steady?" Kaito asked. "I know there have been a few rough patches, but—"

"_Yes,_" Rin gushed, running over to Kaito and giving him a big hug. "Thank you so much, Kaito-Sensei! Thank you thank you thank you for getting rid of Sakine-san!"

"Um…I don't really understand," Kaito said, shrugging.

"Sakine-san's in love with _you _now," Rin giggled. "But that means she doesn't like Len anymore—but that's good!"

"Oh, that's _nothing,_" Kaito chuckled. "But I'm a teacher and she's a student, so you can't tell anyone."

"She already made us promise. She even gave us tickets to a mountain resort," Rin said. "I guess that will be Len and I's summer trip."

"Really," Kaito smirked. "Well, you'll definitely need these." He handed Rin several slim gold-wrapped packages that had something soft and squishy inside of them.

"Um…gum?" Rin asked quizzically, cocking her head to the side. Kaito covered his mouth with his hand as to keep from laughing at how innocent Rin was.

"They're for your boyfriend. _He'll_ know what they are. Be sure to use them!" Kaito snorted. "Ahaha, I'm sorry. Also, I should give you two a bit of money so you guys can have fun while you're there…" He dug into his pocket and handed Rin a smooth packet of bills.

"Wow…this is at least 20,000 yen!*" Rin gasped, skimming through the money. "Are you really sure—"

"It's nothing," Kaito said, waving his hand. "I admit I've caused you two some trouble throughout this time, and you two work too hard. Time to have a little fun."

"Thank you, Kaito-Sensei. For everything," Rin said graciously, bowing. "Thanks for always being there for us."

"Have a nice summer, Rin-chan," Kaito said, smiling.

"You too!" Rin replied, waving, and she was out the door.

"Len, look what Kaito-Sensei gave us!" Rin cheered, showing Len the packet of money. "There's at least 20,000 yen in here. He said it's for if we want to do anything else during vacation. And also, he gave us these things, although I'm not sure what they are…" She brought out the slim gold packages, and Len's face immediately turned a shade of pink.

"You absolutely have _no _idea what those are, Rin?" Len laughed.

"No. I thought they were gum or candy at first, but I'm really not sure," Rin said, shrugging.

"Those are_ condoms, _babe," Len snorted. "You're supposed to use them when you—well, _you know_—do the nasty."

"Oh my god! So that's what those things were that they showed us in health—I mean—ugh, I'm so embarrassed!" Rin gasped, flustered. "You take them! I don't really want to be the one who's—well, carrying them around and stuff…" She quickly handed the packages over to Len and he nonchalantly put them into his pockets.

_Then again, I suppose he's more familiar with this stuff than I am, _Rin thought, blushing. _I mean, he's already done—you know…._

"Anyways, we should probably head home and get ready for our trip," Len said, and they started walking. "When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow," Rin said. "We should leave as soon as possible. Who knows how long the coupons are good for."

"You know what? I think Sakine-san and Shion-Sensei are trying to tell us something," Len laughed. "I mean, free stay coupons for a mountain inn, giving us money and the condoms…I was kind of thinking too, but I wasn't sure when…"

Rin thought hard for a moment, her mouth falling open in silent realization. "They want us to have…"

"Exactly," Len said. "But I was thinking, if we do…well, it'll be your first time and all and I'm not sure you're ready, but it should be somewhere special and this is a pretty good chance. But only when you're ready."

"Y—yeah…" Rin nodded. Normally this was the type of subject that made her feel uncomfortable, but for some reason, this time she felt a bit more relaxed since it was only her and Len. No Meiko, Miku, Kaito, or anyone else in the picture.

_ Ready… _Rin thought. _What does it mean to be "ready?" Am I ready yet?_

"My first trip with Len and I have nothing to wear," Rin sighed, shaking her head. "Pathetic."

The blonde stood in front of her tiny, half-full closet, still in her school uniform. She and Len had walked home from school and she decided it was a good time to pack for their trip to the Hiyama Resort tomorrow.

"What the heck do you wear to these things anyways?" Rin said to herself, frowning, as she yanked a few items off of the rack, throwing them onto her bed. "God, if only I had a bit more money, I could actually have something nice to wear. I practically live in my school uniform, so when summer rolls around it's tough. I wonder what Len's wearing? Although he's a guy…as if he'd know anything about fashion."

Rin smoothed out the clothes she had randomly picked out, and took a few steps back, examining each possible outfit. She had pulled out an orange plaid ¾-sleeve flannel shirt which could be paired up with her knee-length blue denim skirt, a white floral-print summer dress with her mom's special straw hat, and an aqua-colored tank-top with jean cut-off shorts. And on the skimpy side…she had pulled out her blue polka-dot bikini. (See Chapter 6!)

"Hmm…well, I guess these are good enough," Rin sighed. "I can always wash stuff, and maybe there will be a place to do some shopping there. And they probably have a hot-tub or pool there, so I should probably bring my bikini…"

Rin threw the outfits along with a few others she had managed to find into her small suitcase, and tossed her makeup bag and a toothbrush into a small toiletry bag and placed it inside the suitcase. She had put Kaito's money into her wallet, since she was better with keeping track of important things than Len was.

"I guess I'm done now," Rin yawned. "Hmm…I should probably go to bed early so I'll be well-rested tomorrow…"

Rin took a shower, got into her PJ's, and brushed her teeth, then collapsed onto the bed with a hefty sigh.

_I wonder if Len and I's room will have two beds or just one? _Rin thought, blushing. _Argh, why am I thinking about this stuff anyways? Kaito-Sensei just likes to joke around. I mean, to have a fulfilling relationship, you don't have to have sex, right? But what if Len actually wants to?_

Rin couldn't help but ask herself, "Do _I_ want to too?"

"Len! Hey, Len! We're here!"

"Huh? Rin…is that you?" Len yawned.

"Of course it's me, silly. We're here," Rin laughed.

"Where?" Len asked as his eyes slowly came back into focus. He could see people grabbing their bags from the overhead bins and realized they were on a train.

"At the Hiyama Resort, of course! Remember?" Rin giggled.

"Oh yeah, I remember now!" Len nodded. "Ehehe, I just fell asleep, I guess."

"I already got our things, so let's disembark," Rin said.

Rin and Len's mouths fell open as soon as they exited the train. Neither of them had ever been anywhere—well, so _beautiful _before. It was summer, so there was no snow, but the resort was hidden by a group of lush springy green trees and grasses, and throngs of colorful wildflowers. The mountain shot up majestically into the bright blue sky, the peak covered in a light dusting of snow. Although they were up high, it was very warm, and Len could spot a few hot springs and small lakes lower down. It was so beautiful, Len couldn't even describe it.

"Len, look, over there!" Rin said, pointing off into the distance. There was a resort worker holding up a sign that said "_Guests Len & Rin Kagamine."_

Len froze. The girl holding up the sign had long, blonde hair and aqua blue eyes, and looked a little like an older version of Rin. But it wasn't just that—the girl looked incredibly familiar, but Len couldn't put his finger on who she could be.

_Like someone from my past, _Len thought forebodingly. _But I forget who she is…_

"Len, what's wrong? Come on, let's go," Rin said, taking Len's hand and dragging him over to the girl.

"Are you two Len and Rin Kagamine?" the girl asked, smiling.

"Um, yes," Len said, nodding. He couldn't help but stare at her. Who _was _she?

"Well, hello, nice to meet you! My name is Lily, and I'll be your guide during your stay," the girl, Lily, said, bowing. "Please follow me, and I'll show you two to your room."

"Come on Len, let's go," Rin whispered, nudging Len. "Are you okay?"

"Y—yeah, of course," Len said weakly. There was just something about that girl…but why couldn't he remember?

_Lily…Lily, Lily, Lily. That name…. _Len thought hard, digging deep into his mind. _I know her! I know I do! But how…wait, I think I have this figured out!_

"Lily-san…did you ever know Karin and Setsu Kagamine?" Len asked, gazing up to look at Lily.

Lily gasped and stopped walking. "Len…is that really _you_?"

~CHAPTER 15 – END~

© 2011 Ikuto-sama


	17. Chapter 16 FINAL CHAPTER

SPICE! Chapter 16

-FINAL CHAPTER-

By Ikuto-sama

Rin had a bad feeling about Lily's presence. She'd finally succeeded in getting Len away from the likes of Meiko and the others—she didn't need nor want any new females disrupting her and Len's lives.

"I knew it!" Len gasped. "Cousin Lily!"

"Oh my goodness, you've grown so much!" Lily engulfed Len in a tight hug. "Cousin Lenny! I hardly recognized you!"

Rin felt a wave of relief wash over her. Thank goodness Lily was just family—which meant no more unnecessary drama.

"After Uncle Ren and Aunt Setsu died, I had no idea what happened to you. We thought perhaps you'd been taken to an orphanage," Lily said. "I wish you'd been able to stay with us, but 6 kids was already a lot and Mom and Dad couldn't afford to feed another mouth…"

"It's okay. Rin-chan has taken quite good care of me," Len laughed shyly. "Her parents also died in the accident. They were my parents' good friends."

"Well, your girlfriend is _very _adorable," Lily said, smiling.

Rin blushed. "Th—thank you."

"Oh, looks like I've been holding you two up," Lily said. "I'll show you to your room, then how about we have dinner?"

"Sure!" Rin nodded. Lily was actually pretty nice.

Len and Rin dropped their things off in their room—a clean modern-style wood-floor room with a large white fluffy bed and candles—and followed Lily to a grand dining room. It was still slightly early and the dinner rush hadn't started yet.

"You usually have to pay for meals here, but it's on me," Lily said, handing Len a crisp 10,000-yen bill.

"Really?" Len gasped.

"Of course," Lily said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Then we can catch up. Have fun you two!" She winked as she walked away.

"O—okay," Len stammered. He realized this was the first time he'd been to dinner with Rin alone in a true date-like setting. The memory of his disastrous first dinner date with Meiko came to mind. What an idiot he'd been!

Rin and Len sat down at a table in a corner, and a waitress handed them each a menu. It was full of foreign dishes that Len didn't understand, so he let Rin order for him. When the food came, it was the most delicious thing Len had ever tasted. Rin said it was filet mignon. French.

"Let's go for a walk," Rin said after they had finished their meal and paid.

Len blushed as Rin took his hand. Things felt different somehow. It was as if now he was truly falling in love with Rin.

The sky had dimmed into a darker blue as the sun had set, and the moon glowed a bright white in the sky. Surprisingly, no one was out even though the weather was mild. Rin and Len walked quietly for a while along the stream, simply enjoying each other's company. However, a bunch of unsettling feelings had welled up inside of Len, and as they reached a bridge, he felt now was the time to say something.

"Rin-chan, I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Rin stopped and turned to face Len.

"I'm really sorry for everything," Len said softly, looking down. "All these years I've taken you for granted. Treated you horribly. I should have been more respectful of your feelings. This trip has gotten me thinking that even if people are trying to rush us, we should take our time."

"Len, I…" Rin trailed off. Len's face was only inches from hers. Her heart started to beat rapidly.

"You know, both our parents died early. I'm sure they wanted to be able to spend a lot more time together. It shows that you can be here one day, gone the next. So I really think we should cherish our time together," Len continued. "I'm really happy to be here with you, Rin-chan. And I want to properly show my feelings for you. I love you."

Rin smiled as Len took her head in his hands and planted a kiss on her lips. It was a tender kiss, of love, of romance, of adolescence, of an apology, and of forgiveness. Rin wished she could treasure the feeling forever.

"It's starting to get late," Rin said, slowly pulling away. "We should go back."

The pair walked in a happy silence back to their room. When they got there, someone had already opened the door a crack, and a soft vanilla smell from the candles, now lit, wafted from the room.

"Now really," Rin laughed. "Was this planned?"

"My cousin Lily was always a hopeless romantic," Len sighed. "You know, we really don't—"

"Whatever happens will happen," Rin said, smiling, as she slowly shut the door. "I trust you."

"Rin-chan, you know I can't—" Before Len could even object to Rin's offer, she crushed her lips into his.

"Mmm…" Len tried to pull away, but something was stopping him. He melted into Rin's kiss, their lips moving in perfect synchronization, her soft lips molding into his. He pulled Rin closer, clinging to her as if she would fly away if he let her go. He couldn't help but want more. He knew it would only lead to trouble, and that they were still young, but this time Rin was the one who was pushing it and he didn't mind that fact whatsoever.

"I—I didn't know you could be like this, R—Rin-chan," Len gasped as Rin nipped him on the neck. She hastily threw her top off, revealing her milky-white torso, and began to undo the buttons of his.

"It just feels right somehow," Rin replied.

They continued to make out for Len didn't know how long, but frankly he didn't care. He felt they were ready to take the next step. However, as soon as he began to slip his hand underneath Rin's bra strap, she pulled away.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Len asked, confused.

"I—I changed my mind," Rin exclaimed, blushing, as she grabbed her shirt off the floor and began to put it back on again. "I decided that perhaps I'm rushing things too much. You said we should take things slow, but suddenly I was taken by these feelings and I did what felt right to me. But now it doesn't feel right anymore."

"I don't mind, Rin-chan," Len replied. "I mean, it's okay, but…"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to have sex with you, Len. Not right now," Rin sighed. "But that doesn't mean I can't change my mind later."

"I would never want to do something that you'd feel uncomfortable with," Len said softly, hugging Rin and ruffling her hair. "The fact that I'm able to be with you is all that matters. I don't mind just being like this, you know. I love you, Rin-chan."

Rin squeezed Len tighter. "Thank you, Len," she said, smiling. "I love you too."

Rin had had her doubts about Len, but in that moment, she realized that she'd been pursuing the right guy this whole time. She kissed Len once more.

"I'll always love you."

Those four words were all the reassurance she needed.

~CHAPTER 16 – END~

This is the end of SPICE! Thank you for reading!

© 2012 Ikuto-sama 


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